As much as I loved finishing her off with my fingers, I was desperate to get inside of her myself. I’d been jacking off to the thought of her almost every night, but then again, I knew that I’d be getting her back if it was the last thing I did.
Now I had the real thing writhing beneath me, begging me to take her. I wouldn’t disappoint her.
I hastily removed her panties and lined my cock up with her entrance, slowly sinking in. I hissed through my teeth at the pure pleasure of it all. She welcomed me back like an old friend, gripping me tight and urging me deeper. Our hips met and I took a moment to appreciate the feel of her, kissing her hard and deep. Then I began rhythmically thrusting, driving forward with enough force to send her inching up the bed with each thrust.
Our kiss turned sloppy with need. We were wild in our passion for each other, frantically coming together and apart on a rollercoaster of orgasmic bliss. Emma’s eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she screwed them shut as her pleasure steadily built.
“Look at me,” I commanded.
I wanted to see the moment when her ecstasy peaked. I wanted to see exactly what I did to her.
Her hazel eyes fixed on me and there was desperation in their depths. I groaned and thrust harder, eliciting a shriek from the beautiful woman beneath me.
“I’m so close, Max. God, I’m so close.”
Her words were music to my ears. I pulled out and buried my shaft inside of her again with enough force to knock the air from her lungs. Over and over again, watching the delight surge in her eyes.
Her brows furrowed and her mouth dropped open as a keening wail burst from her throat. I silenced her moan with my kiss as I buried my cock in her, lost into the ecstasy of her walls squeezing me. One more thrust and I rolled over my own edge, keeping our hips flush as I emptied into her.
It felt like I was letting go of every worry and fear I’d ever had, like her womb was a vessel for my pain. Every time we made love it felt a bit like that, but this was different. For the first time ever, we were completely and wholly in sync with each other. No anxieties, no missed communication, nothing. Just love.
Emma wrapped her arms around me, still quaking. “I never want to let you go,” she whispered.
I pressed my lips into the base of her neck, eyes closed. “You never have to.”
Epilogue
6 Months Later ...
The azure sky stretched endlessly above me, pale sunlight warming my upturned face. I breathed in the damp air of early spring, smiling to myself like an idiot. But hell, I had a lot to smile about.
First, it was Friday. I had a whole weekend to work on assignments and relax with my doting husband.
Second, I’d just gotten back my marks on a project for my pop culture painting class, and I’d improved markedly from my first assignment of the year.
I discovered a third reason when I opened my eyes and saw a handsome, well-dressed man standing at the bottom of the building steps. Max grinned up at me, one hand shoved casually in his pocket like he’d just walked off the cover of GQ.
“Hey!” I bounded down and threw my arms around him. “What are you doing here?”
He kissed the top of my head and squeezed me in his arms. “I’m taking you away for the weekend. Surprise!”
I chuckled. “The surprises just don’t end with you, do they?”
“Gotta keep you on your toes somehow.” He patted my rear and pulled back from the hug, winking down at me. “Who knows what a woman like you will do if she gets bored.”
He was just teasing, but I set my jaw in righteous indignation anyway.
“A woman like me? Why I oughta...”
His car was waiting just out front, a sleek black Mercedes that we often took around on the weekends if we felt like getting out of the city for a drive. I tossed my bag in the back and slid in, noting that he’d packed a bag for me and everything.
“Where are we going?” I asked. “Or is that a surprise too?”
“I think picking you up from school is enough surprise for one day.” He lowered himself into the driver’s seat and buckled up. “We’re going out to the Hamptons. Mother just bought a property out there and she says it’s the most divine escape this side of Aruba.”
“This side of Aruba, huh? With a qualifier like that, I’ve got high expectations.”
Max pulled out onto the road, his lips quirked in amusement. “If it’s a shit hole I’m sure we can just keg up in the bedroom all weekend.”
It wouldn’t be a shit hole, but the offer was tempting nonetheless.
“I just have to get gas on the way,” he said. “But after that, it’s just us and the open road.”
He made it sound like we were going on a great All-American road trip, rather than a quick jaunt up Long Island to stay in a swanky home in the Hamptons. I laughed.
By the time we stopped at the gas station, I was feeling thirsty and decided to pop inside for a drink while Max fuelled up. After grabbing a couple bottles of water and some pepperoni sticks, which I just couldn’t kick the craving for, I brought my purchases up to the till and nearly shit my pants.
“Emma?” Lance said, pulling on the collar of his Sip N’ Go uniform. “You look different.”
He looked different too, though I didn’t comment on his overgrown hair or the fact that all the life had drained from his eyes. It didn’t seem polite.
“Uh, yeah. Well, I guess it’s been awhile since we’ve seen each other.”
The bell on the door chimed and I looked back to see Max enter. I knew the moment he realized that Lance was the cashier, because his eyes hardened and narrowed into angry slits. He strode over to me and wrapped his arm around my waist.
I thrust my cash at Max, wanting to end this interaction as quickly as possible.
“You look good though,” Lance offered, which was quite bold considering Max looked like he was about to blow a gasket. Though I’d gotten over everything I’d gone through when I was with Lance, Max still hadn’t. He looked about ready to throw another punch.
“Thanks,” I said. “Uh, you too.”
I took my change and my snacks and made a hasty exit. Max was silent until we were back in the car.
“I didn’t get my chips,” he muttered angrily, driving back onto the road.
I laughed. “Did you want chips?”
“Yeah, that was why I came inside. And then I saw that dingus and completely fucking forgot.”
This time I laughed harder. It seemed ridiculous that Max was jealous of Lance. Or maybe he just hated the guy’s guts and couldn’t stand to be around him. Either way, I figured now would be a good time to announce a surprise of my own. It might not calm him down, but it would at least change the tone of the car ride.
“Hey Max,” I said, unwrapping my pepperoni stick and nibbling off a bite.
“Hey what?”
“Hey, I’m pregnant.”
The car swerved to the side of the road and lurched to a sudden stop. I let out a squawk of confusion, thinking a rabbit had just run onto the road or something. The second we stopped, however, Max reached across the car, unclipped me, and pulled me over onto his lap.
I was about to chastise him for the abrupt stop when his mouth crashed over mine. I could feel the smile on his lips. How could I help but melt into that?
“Thank you, thank you,” he murmured, squeezing me in his arms. “Fuck, this is the best news I’ve ever had.”
My heart skipped with happiness.
I kissed him back, holding his face in my hands as pure joy surged through me.
“Mmm, you taste like pepperoni.”
I pulled back and scowled at him. “Ya had to ruin the moment, didn’t you?”
He pulled me back, chest rumbling with laughter. “I like pepperoni.”
“Well, get used to it, because it’s the only thing I seem to want to eat.”
He thumbed my cheek, staring deep into my eyes. “I’ll make you a palace of pepperoni.”
“I
think that would be overkill.”
“Not at all,” he said, more serious now. “You make me the happiest man on earth every single day. A palace of pepperoni seems like a small price to pay for that.”
I tapped the end of his nose, grinning from ear to ear. “Let’s start with letting me finish the stick I already have, and we can go from there.”
He nodded, placed another chaste kiss on my lips, and returned me to my seat, dutifully buckling me back in, even though I had hands and everything.
“To the Hamptons!” I said cheerily.
Max gave me a sidelong grin as he revved up the engine. “Anywhere you want to go, babe. Anywhere.”
Bad Boy Brother
CHANCE CARTER
Chapter 1
Jenny Dale walked into the office of her Editor in Chief with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity. She tried to steady her trembling knees as she pushed the door open and inched her way into the large, sterile room, presenting herself to Mr. Rowland.
“Come on in, Jenny. I have a new job for you.”
He motioned toward the chair in front of him indicating for her to have a seat, so she complied.
“A new job, sir?”
Mr. Rowland nodded, sending crumbs from the sandwich he’d been eating sprinkling down onto the desk and floor beneath him.
“Yes, it seems Mitchell is leaving town to take care of her sick mother, and I need someone to fill in while she’s out the next few months. That’s if she comes back at all,” he added under his breath.
“Sir, you’re asking me to be the editor of the fall line-up?” she asked, sure she must be mistaken.
“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”
He dusted the crumbs from his shirt.
“I don’t know what to say. I…”
Jenny was at a loss for words as the excitement began a slow build from her gut up to her eyeballs.
“Say you’ll do it so I can get back to work,” he said, but his eyes trailed down to what was left of his sandwich.
“Yes! Thank you, sir,” she said, springing up from her chair and breezing out the door before he could change his mind.
She could not believe her luck. It looked like everything was finally falling into place. The time spent diligently working alongside numerous photographers, editors, and consultants was finally paying off after seven, long years at Joy Magazine.
She had seen movies and television shows, but nothing had prepared her for just how busy life in New York City would be. No longer under the eyes of the opinionated citizens of her small, hometown of Ombrea, she was one of thousands crowding the streets, a stranger among many in a big city. For the first time in forever, Jenny Dale was beginning to feel like she was in the right place, at the right time.
She had only two short months to plan and prepare the upcoming magazine spread. She would have to choose models, follow trends, select styles, determine what colors to use and the like. As daunting as the workload was, Jenny couldn’t wait to get started on the new project. In her mind, she had been preparing for this for years.
She decided a celebratory coffee was in order. Her mother had always said no work meant no play, but Jenny felt she deserved a little play after all the work she'd put in over the past seven years.
She waited in line at Starbucks, so engrossed in her own success that she almost didn't hear the musical notes of her ringtone from inside her handbag. Expecting a crisis at the office, something that came with the territory when working in the fashion industry, she quickly retrieved her cell phone, catching the call right before it slipped to voicemail.
“Miss Jenny Dale?”
The caller sounded brusque. It wasn't a voice she recognized.
“Yes, speaking,” Jenny replied.
“This is Chief Joseph Cartright from the Ombrea Police Department. I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, ma'am, but your brother, Joey Dale, has been arrested. He was taken into custody this morning.”
“Arrested?”
It was a very familiar word when it came to her younger brother. It was exactly the reason she had chosen to avoid contact with him over the past seven years. He was much more trouble than he was worth, and Jenny had long ago decided not to get any more involved with his life than she had to.
“That's really not a surprise to me, sir. What did he get himself involved in this time?”
“He is charged with first-degree murder,” Chief Cartwright answered calmly.
Jenny couldn't believe what she was hearing. Ever since their parents had died, during her junior year of high school, Joey had been in and out of trouble for things like petty crime or vandalism, but he had never been arrested for anything even remotely violent, and the last arrest had been before he’d turned 18, as far as she knew. She had always been grateful that despite his numerous shortcomings, he had never done anyone physical harm.
For Joey to be accused of first-degree murder seemed almost unbelievable, and for the most part, she had believed everything she heard about her brother.
“What?”
She swallowed hard and began again.
“Who did he…” she said, unable to find the words.
“Chloe Dale. His soon-to-be ex-wife,” the man answered.
Jenny felt the world circling around her. She had to grip the phone tighter against her ear as her hands began to tremble, to make sure she didn’t drop it and miss anything. Her chest constricted with grief, and tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she tried to hold it together.
My best friend, she thought to herself but didn't say aloud.
From what Jenny had gathered from the sporadic phone calls she and Chloe had shared over the past few years, Joey had been working at turning his life around since the birth of their daughter. He had taken on a job as an officer at the local station and was trying to stay on the straight and narrow.
The powers-that-be at the police station had obviously seen something in him that no one else had. Either that or they were desperate for fresh blood, because from what she knew, they had taken him on immediately, in spite of his past grievances.
For his own officers to have arrested him, there had to have been some serious evidence connecting him to the crime. It must have been Joey who’d murdered Chloe.
Jenny was completely shocked.
“Did you say, soon-to-be ex-wife?” Jenny asked.
As far as she knew, despite their marital problems, Chloe and Joey had never divorced or even separated. Chloe had been aware of her husband's difficulties with his sister and vice versa, so they had avoided mentioning him in their phone calls. Apparently the silence had caused her to miss so much of her best friend's life, and now it was too late to change that.
“I didn't know they'd been divorced,” Jenny said, still in shock.
“They were planning to separate. In a small town like Ombrea, gossip travels rather quickly. They'd been at odds for years, or so I hear. The situation was a rocky one,” Chief Cartwright offered.
Jenny nodded to herself. That was true. Whenever Chloe and Joey fought, Jenny could hear the strain in Chloe's voice, a tightness that suggested she was on the verge of breaking down. Jenny felt guilty for never having pressed too hard to find out the cause of her friend's sadness. It had always been so blatantly obvious, like an elephant in the room. Another conversation about Joey was the last thing she wanted, so she selfishly avoided giving Chloe the opportunity to share.
Sure, Joey had never been an easy person to get along with. He was stubborn and quick to anger. He had an innate ability to draw on a person's weakness and use it against them. When they were kids, he tormented her if she didn’t do as he said, or if she wouldn’t give in to his demands. He was a hard case then, and even more impossible to deal with as an adult. Chloe definitely married a man who needed more help than she could ever have given him.
“You’re listed as his only surviving next of kin. That means you become the guardian of their young daughter, Isabelle,” the chief stated aft
er a long pause.
Having forgotten that piece of the puzzle, her eyes went wide as the realization struck her. She had to pinch herself to see if it was really happening, or if it were some sick joke or a dream.
“Right,” she said softly, realizing it was all too real.
Jenny's turn had come in the queue, but she dropped into the nearest empty chair instead, her coffee no longer an immediate concern. At that moment, all she could think about was that Chloe was gone for good and that her brother was to blame. It was a lot to take in at once, especially when the day had been going so well.
“Right now, she is in the custody of our local branch of the Children's Aid Agency, but you will need to collect her as soon as possible, ma'am. We don’t have adequate resources to look after a child here.”
“Right,” she said.
It seemed to be the only word she could muster in her confused state.
She heard the soft click of Chief Cartright ending the call. She sat in silence collecting her thoughts, and for the second time today, Jenny Dale couldn’t believe her luck.
What was she going to do with a child, and what did this mean for the fall lineup?
Chapter 2
As soon as her old Dodge Neon reached the Ombrea town limits, Jenny’s chest began to constrict and her hands were shaking against the steering wheel.
Long ago memories pushed their way through her subconscious. The mix of good and bad thoughts toyed with her emotions, making her feel like she was about to crack. She swallowed hard and forced the thoughts back into the dark shadows of her mind. It wouldn't do any good to dwell on the past. Not when there was so much to be done here and now.
She considered how easy it would be to turn around and head back to where she’d come from. She told herself that she could flee this place again if she really wanted to. It had been the most freeing experience of her life when, seven years ago, she packed up her belongings and left this town behind her. She hadn't looked back even once.
None of this was really any of her concern, she reasoned with herself. Her brother's mess was entirely his own, just as it had always been. She didn't need to have a hand in it if she wasn't ready to. He didn't deserve her help, especially not after what he had been accused of. He'd stolen a life. He'd taken away her best friend. He needed to be brought to justice.
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