“She’s over by the bar,” Helena tells me with a little wink, already knowing who I’m looking for.
Women. They know everything, I swear.
I say my hellos to Helena and Chester before spotting Addison, in a silky pink dress that hugs every curve I’ve missed, at the opposite side of the room.
It feels like years since I’ve seen her, even though it’s only been a few days. Before I can reach her at the bar, Greg stops me.
“I always knew you were a cop,” he boasts as I shake his hand.
“Federal agent.”
“Same thing,” he says with a little laugh.
The fuck it is. “How’s everything been?” I remain polite.
“A lot different without Dale and June around.”
“Yeah.” I can’t get into specifics about the case, and I hold my breath hoping more than anything Greg doesn’t get nosy about the investigation.
“We also miss you guys too. Can’t believe how well you fooled us. I thought you two made a great couple.” He smiles, and I spot Preston out of the corner of my eye.
“Thank you.” I shake his hand again and head over in that direction.
“FBI, huh?” Preston asks. “I knew there was something about the two of you.” He laughs.
I pat his shoulder. “How’s the bike?”
“I’m getting better and better. Mom doesn’t like me riding that much, but I found an empty field I ride out in. Maybe one day you can come for a ride too.”
I smile. “That sounds fun, Kid.”
Did you ever think you could fall in love with a community?
Addison glances my way, and the minute our eyes meet I can feel the zap of electricity between us. It takes my breath away. I can’t turn away.
I move, in a trance, crossing the hardwood floor in long, easy strides. When I’m close enough to talk to her, I almost feel like all the air has been squeezed out of my lungs. “Hi,” I manage to get out.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asks.
My brow arches. “Tell you what?”
She bites the bottom of her lip, and all I can think about is how good those lips tasted between my teeth. “The money.”
I shrug. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
“I want to pay you back.” The determination on her face is adorable.
“There’s no way I’d ever allow that to happen.”
She crosses her arms against her chest. “You have to let me pay you back.”
“No I don’t.” There’s no way I’d ever take money from her.
“Yes you do.”
“Money is just money. It’s fine, honestly.”
“Well, I’d like to repay you somehow.”
“I think that could be arranged.” I smile and then she does too.
“Oh…”
Before she can get another word out, I kiss her. And I don’t stop kissing her until she knows exactly how I feel about her.
Epilogue
Addison
What? How could I just leave everything so all over the place? You probably have a million questions. It’s like a cliffhanger of cliffhangers, like watching a Game of Thrones episode and having to wait a week to find out what happens. Don’t worry, I have everything you need. First, let me start by saying...Vin is amazing. He really is.
And you’re probably wondering if I got the promotion, right? I know it’s probably the only thing on your mind. Forget did they live happily ever after. Forget about what happened to the Whithers.
We need to know if you got the promotion.
Well, I did.
Yes, I’m now officially a field agent, and because of the promotion I work solely alongside Vin Mills. Life couldn’t be better than this.
It’s like fantasy and reality have collided into a dream job of sorts.
It really has made me the luckiest girl in the world. And I speak the truth.
Speaking of Vin, did you know he’s rich? I hate to talk about money that way, but he is. I’m not one of those people who falls for someone based on what they can provide for me. I’d still love Vin even if he were poor, but ...he’s so not.
Furthermore, he ended up buying that house in the Highlands. Seriously.
He bought it, and we officially moved in last week. To say I’m excited is an understatement. I’m finally somewhere I belong. I finally feel like this is where I’m supposed to be. I have a home.
A wise woman once said, ‘No man is ready for a relationship until they meet the right woman.’ And let me tell you, Vin is relationship central. He’s so good at being the perfect boyfriend. In fact, he makes me want to be a better girlfriend, scratch that, he makes me want to all around be a better person.
And I love that about him.
I also love that he knows me. He knew what I needed, and now I feel like for the first time in my whole life that I belong.
Living in the Highlands, pretending to be someone I’m not, was the first time I ever felt more real.
Like I was working toward something.
And now Vin and I are. We’re working on a life together.
As for Dale and June, yes you guessed it, they turned on everyone. Over and over. There have been so many arrests because of the two of them selling everyone out. I wish they could just move back into the Highlands and everything could return to normal. But we all know that’s not how real life works.
“Vin, I’ll be home soon,” I yell as I open the front door of our new home in the hills.
“Not so fast,” he tells me with a wicked grin pressing at his lips.
The afternoon breeze ruffles my hair as I stand in the doorway, gazing into the hazel eyes of my love. “Did I forget something?”
He steps closer, reaching his arms out to wrap around my waist.
My blood spikes with adrenaline rushing through my system, and I realize how giddy I am to have him touching me. To have him here with me. I pop up on to my tiptoes, and brush my lips against his.
He smiles like I just solved a mystery for him. “That’s exactly what you were forgetting.” And then he kisses me harder, more passionately, and I squeeze my eyes shut, opening my mouth for him.
I thank my lucky stars daily for this man.
I feel adored as he steps away from me. “Have fun,” he says, stepping back into the house.
Miffie, Helena, and Kelly wait for me along the sidewalk, whistling as soon as I make my way toward them.
I laugh and wave them off, knowing they all witnessed the kiss that Vin just surprised me with.
A new couple has just moved into Dale and June’s old home.
We all smile to one another, and I scoop up the stray cat in my arms.
“Let’s go meet our new neighbors,” Kelly says, pushing her sunglasses on top of her head.
We cross the street as the movers unload the semi packed with luxurious furniture.
I spot a woman, about my height with long, brown hair and a Prada purse hanging off her arm.
“Hi, I’ve found your cat,” I say to her.
Extended Epilogue
Addison
Remember when I wondered if Vin would be into handcuffs? Well, let me tell you…
One day as I wait for Vin to come home from work, I make sure everything is set up perfectly for the evening I have planned just for him.
“Honey, I’m home,” he says as he steps through the front door.
His eyebrows shoot up when he spots me, lying on the dining room table with nothing but a pair of sexy red panties, and handcuffs in my hands, ready to be used.
“Welcome home.”
“Oh and how good it is to be here.” Vin steps closer, and I stand to greet him. He wraps his arms around my waist, bringing his mouth down on me.
His kiss is urgent and needy, and his hands pull at me like he can’t get enough.
“I love coming home to this every night,” he says, tugging me closer, moving his kisses to my neck. His lips set fire to my skin, and the yearning grows and grows dee
p within.
Try as I might, I can’t let go of this man who kisses me like the world is ending. And for me it would if he stopped having his way with me right now.
“Handcuffs?” He raises a brow with a questioning look as he pulls back from the kiss to gaze into my eyes.
“I thought maybe…”
He presses a finger over my lips, a wide grin breaking across his face. “I know exactly what you thought. And I accept.” He takes the handcuffs from my fingertips.
I push away from him, making my way upstairs as he hungrily follows on my heels. “Say something to me in Italian.”
“Il tuo desiderio è mio comando.” As he takes each step he loses an article of clothing. His red power tie was the first thing to go. He unbuttons each button of his shirt, and slowly removes it showing off his well-defined abs.
“More.” The sound of his words turn me on even though I have no idea what he’s saying to me.
“Voglio reclamarti,” he whispers. “Il mio amore.”
“What does it mean?” I ask, eagerly.
“Basically I said you’re mine, and I want to claim every part of you.” He stalks closer up each step.
My mouth waters and my pussy aches, wanting him to touch me. I’m half-tempted to surrender to him right here on the staircase, but the wait is always worth it.
Once we make it upstairs, Vin is down to his boxer briefs and he grabs me around the waist right before we enter the master bedroom. “I am going to make you submit to me tonight.”
I’m already almost there. I nod with a swallow. “Yes, sir.”
He smiles a wicked grin as he tugs me closer. His lips are on mine as he opens the door and backs me up until we reach the bed. “Lucky for you I have my own set of handcuffs too.” He reaches for the side drawer, and pulls out his pair. “I have some fun planned,” he says with desire swimming in his eyes.
I let Vin take over, placing me on my back where he wants me. “Do whatever you want to me.”
He runs his fingers into the waistband of my panties. “I love these. Are they new?”
I nod, biting my lower lip. “I bought them just for you.”
He lowers them down my legs, flinging them over his back, then stands and removes his boxer briefs. “Are you ready to submit?” he asks with eyes on fire.
I bite my lower lip with a nod of my head. “I’m ready.” I trust him completely as he takes the first set of handcuffs and places the cheek plate around my wrist and snaps it together. He takes the second plate and wraps it around my ankle, bringing my knee up. Then, he does the same thing to the other side with the second set of cuffs.
Now I can’t move my hands without my ankles joining the movement as well. We’ve never played with handcuffs before. My heart pounds in my chest at the excitement of submitting to him. I’m so turned on. I don’t think I’ve ever been this turned on in my whole life.
Vin stands back, admiring his work with my pussy on full display for him. His dick has swelled to full size, and he grabs it, pumping it into his fist. “I’ve been thinking about this all day.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?”
I’ve been thinking about him all day too.
He doesn’t climb the bed, instead pulls me down to the edge of it, and swipes his dick through my wetness, groaning as he does it. And then, he enters me in one long, smooth stroke.
My heartbeat stampedes through my chest. I almost lose my breath, loving the way he fills me up. This man turns me on so much.
He takes his time with me at first, knowing this isn’t a race to the finish line. His movements are controlled, collected even, making my desire build and build until there’s no stopping myself. Until I want to claw at his back. But, my hands are bound. And I let out a whimper of need.
“Vin, I want to touch you.”
He shakes his head, tsking me. “Not until I allow you to.” His eyes are on fire as he stares me down. “You’re mine. Do you know what that means?”
His thrusts gain speed. His dick pumps into me.
I nod.
“It means no one touches your pussy but me.”
I shake my head. “No one.” As if I would ever.
Our kisses grow fiercer, our bodies moving in tandem to just get closer than we already are as he claims me.
“You like the way my cock fucks your pussy, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I cry out as his speed intensifies, slamming into me, and turning me on even more.
My orgasm builds. My body comes alive with a sense of longing I’ve never felt before.
Vin’s eyes trap mine as he pounds away inside me.
And before I know it, before I can even prepare for it, my orgasm hits me like a ton of bricks. Bright colors burst behind my closed lids as tingles erupt throughout my bones. I keep coming, unable to stop the euphoria pumping throughout my blood stream. “It feels so good.” So intense. So mesmerizing.
Vin follows shortly after, whispering, “I own you,” into my ear.
He does. He owns me. And I love that about him.
As soon as out bodies calm, and our labored breaths calm, he smiles. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” I say back to him.
And I mean it more than words could ever convey. Maybe they need to come up with a new word for love. A new word for this feeling bursting deep inside my chest. Because it just isn’t big enough to contain what I have for this man in my heart.
“Will you marry me?” he asks, surprising me.
Happy tears flood my eyes. “Yes. Yes. Forever yes.” My heart swells to ten times its normal size as I picture myself walking down the aisle toward him. “I’ll even marry you on a beach. Sand and all.”
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Sneak Peek of BRIDE (The Deceit Duet #1)
Chapter 1
Clementine
Funerals are a lot like weddings. Tears. Flowers. Speeches. Hordes of friends and family gathered in their best clothes to mark the end of a life. It’s an odd comparison to make, the joy of a wedding to the somber pain of death, but it’s eerily true—because marrying Gabriel Prince will be the same as digging a grave and burying myself.
“I’ll take your silence as a yes,” Gabriel says as black-garbed mourners, shoulders bowed with loss, navigate around the arrogant man towering over me.
This is not how I envisioned things when I used to have silly fantasies of my true love proposing. A marriage proposal probably isn’t supposed to feel like you’re standing before an Armani suited marksman with the fine red crosshairs of a bullseye on your forehead. I’d say that’s the last emotion it should evoke. Then again, most proposals don’t take place at a funeral.
Fathomless dark eyes wait for the acquiescence they believe is coming, because why wouldn’t I accept? Clementine Bright is a minuscule pebble in the behemoth mountain that is Gabriel Prince. It’s almost laughable: after all this time, he still expects to get his way.
And why wouldn’t he? He’s always possessed that charismatic ‘x factor’ in his DNA that makes people rush to do his bidding. It’s a combination of lethal good looks and devastating charm that has ensured, since we were kids, everyone has always said yes to him. Didn’t matter what it was—ice cream in the morning, shorts in the winter, a car before he was legally able to drive—if he wanted it, he got it. And acquiring me as his wife is no doubt just another yes to him.
“Why would I ever marry you?” I question, void of emotion. There are no sweaty palms, no butterflies, no quiver in my voice. I’m willing them away. Gabriel thrives on weakness, so I’ve heard, and
I will give him none, even if my forced bravado is holding by a tenuous thread.
“We both know why.” His eyes flit with disdain to his grandfather’s casket, laden with bushels of flowers.
“This is really not the time or place,” I remind him in a hushed tone.
A swollen cloud blocks the sun, darkening his face. “I don’t need grieving lessons. I need a bride, apparently, and that will be you.”
In my clearance sale black dress and heels, I feel like a peasant being given my orders by the prince to obey or suffer the consequences. And peasant isn’t far from the truth.
There was a time when I wanted to be a part of Gabriel’s entitled world, but that time is not today. “Well, you’ll have to find one somewhere else. Trolling a funeral for a wife is a new low even for you.”
“We can discuss the terms later.”
Before I can tell him later will be never, he stalks away to join what’s left of his family in the front row seats. Typical.
I walk closer to the burial site and pick a spot to stand on the fringes of the people who shouldn’t care less Joseph Prince is no longer here. It’s not like he did a lot of good with his billions or was even a nice man, for that matter. A woman in front of me sniffles, dabbing her eyes with a tissue, and I want to ask her what he did that made him worthy of her tears? I’m not here to give my sympathy to him, despite what people may think. The reason I’m here lies on the opposite side of the cemetery, in the poor man's outskirts, beneath the only thing, besides me, that cries they’re no longer here—a weeping willow tree.
For the next hour, I listen as the robed priest extols the virtues of Joseph Prince, and I wait for him to be struck by lightning for lying. A gap in the crowd leaves a clear shot to where Gabriel sits, dry eyed and stone faced. The breeze tugs at his dark hair, but isn’t bold enough to whip it into a frenzy like mine. Even the wind knows to use caution with him.
Unable to stomach my bitterness any longer, I turn away and walk toward the path that leads to the person who was buried quietly without the ostentatious ceremony taking place for Joseph Prince. Maybe my grief is still too raw to have compassion for the sheep wah-ing that their patriarch is gone. He was no saint; he was a wolf, and his fangs were the wealth he used to rip people to shreds. He dined on innocence and sipped their blood like wine. And even in death, he’s stalking his prey.
The NewlyFEDS Page 16
