His Every Desire (Contemporary Romance Box Set)

by Alexis Winter

  I remove myself from her and pull her to my chest, my fist tangling in her hair and pulling her mouth back to mine.

  “Please, don’t ever leave me again,” I beg between passionate kisses.

  She shakes her head. “I’ll never be able to walk away.” She lays her head on my bicep, and her blue eyes lock on mine. “I wasn’t able to fully walk away that day. Even though I left, I left every part of me with you. Finding that woman at your house…” Her sentence breaks off.

  “That was my sister. She had brought me home from the hospital after my dad passed away.”

  She nods. “Damon told me about his death. I was just so…” she shakes her head.

  I pull her closer. “Tell me what was going on in your head,” I plead.

  She places her fist under her head and looks at me. “First, I was scared because you meant more to me than anyone ever has, you know? I mean, we were just supposed to be casual, and then things got out of hand so quickly between us. I was scared that you’d end up sick of me and breaking my heart.”

  “So, you decided to break your own heart by leaving me?” I ask, not understanding entirely.

  She softly laughs. “I knew it would hurt to leave, but I thought if I felt that strongly about you after such a short time, being with you longer would only hurt worse. And then the stuff with the company and your dad, I just didn’t want to be the thing that broke your family.”

  “And after I told you I didn’t care about the job?”

  She nods. “Then I was afraid of what you were saying about wanting marriage and kids with me. For one, I never wanted marriage and kids, period. And two, I was worried that if we eventually did end up married with kids, you’d one day wake up and realize that you had a life you never wanted. That you’d end up resenting me and divorcing me or something. I know it all sounds crazy, but—”

  “That’s what love does. It makes you think and overthink. It can drive you crazy if you let it.” I press a kiss gently to her forehead.

  She lets out a deep breath, exhaling all the stress, sadness, anger: all of it that’s been building over the time we’ve been apart.

  “So, who was this dip-shit you went out with tonight?”

  She laughs. “His name is James. I met him not too long after we broke up. I always go outside on my lunch break, and he’s always there, sitting at the fountain. He works in the building across the street from mine. What about you? Have you gone on any dates?”

  “I was on one tonight.”

  “You were? And you just left her there?” she asks, still tangled up with me.

  I laugh. “Yeah, but she wasn’t alone. She has a whole group of friends to get her home safely.”

  She shakes her head. “We’re a mess, you know it?”

  I hug her closer. “Yeah, but I don’t want to be a mess with anyone else.”

  “Me either. I really am sorry for freaking out and running on you. It won’t happen again,” she assures me with her hand on my cheek.

  “It better not,” I tease, rolling us over so that I land perfectly between her legs. My body begins to come alive just from knowing I’m where I want to be, where I should be.

  “Hey, Damon said you opened another business?”

  “I did. I bought some property outside of the city, in the suburbs. Right now, it’s just a big lot with a pond and a pole barn. But I’m already drawing up plans for a house.”

  Her brows raise. “A house, huh?”

  I nod. “I want a country house. Someplace quiet where we can unwind.”

  “We?” she asks.

  I laugh, unaware that I said we. “If you want to, I mean. I’m not making plans for our future without you. Either way, I figured I needed a place for my business, and property is always a smart investment.”

  She smiles wide. “I love that idea.”

  “You do?”

  She nods. “I don’t know where we’ll be in the future, Bennet. I don’t know if we’ll get married. I don’t know if I’ll ever want kids. But I do know one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I will be by your side, no matter where you go.”

  I can’t hold back the smile that sentence brings on. I lean forward and kiss her deeply, wanting to make sure I express how happy I am that we’re finally in the same mind space.

  She presses against my chest, and I pull away, confused.

  “Join me for a shower?” she asks, sliding out from underneath me.

  “I’d love to.” I smack her playfully on the ass as I chase her to the bathroom. She squeals and laughs as she dodges my hands. But finally, I catch her, pick her up against me, and step into the shower. With her back against the wall and the water beating down on us, I slide into my rightful place.

  “Mads, where are ya?” Damon yells, walking into the apartment.

  My eyes pop open, and so do Maddie’s.

  “Maddie!” Damon yells again, and based on the sound of his voice, he’s getting closer to the bedroom.

  We both jump up and start pulling on clothes.

  “Should I hide?” I whisper, pulling on whatever clothes I can find.

  She shakes her head. “No, we have to tell him eventually.”

  He knocks on the bedroom door just as she pulls my shirt over her head. “Maddie?” he asks through the door.

  “Come in,” she calls out, giving me a sidelong glance. I look down to find myself in her oversized gray sweatpants. The ones that say Juicy across the ass in bright pink. I’m about to rip the seams, and I’m sure she’ll be pissed if I hulk out in them.

  The door opens and Damon walks in. “Hey, there you are,” he says before his eyes land on me. “What’s he doing here?” he asks, looking at me but talking to Maddie.

  She walks over to me and wraps her arm around my stomach. “We ran into one another last night.”

  “I thought you had a date last night?” he asks, placing his hands on his hips.

  She lets out a laugh. “You’re really getting this dad thing down, aren’t you?”

  I want to laugh, but I hold it back. Just looking at the way he’s standing screams disappointed father.

  His eyebrow lifts, not amused.

  “My date turned into a sleaze ball fast.”

  “What’s that mean?”

  “It means he got a little handsy and tried to stop me from walking out of the club. Bennet stopped him.”

  I snort and roll my eyes. “And I’m sure I’ll have court papers on my desk on Monday too. No doubt he’ll press charges.”

  Damon’s eyes grow wide. “You kicked his ass? In the club?”

  I nod as my hand comes up to massage my temples. Already, I’m getting a headache just from thinking about it.

  “Dude, why are you wearing my sister’s pants?” Damon asks.

  I look down at my pants and shrug. “You know me,” is all I can say.

  Damon smiles. “Well, to be honest, I’m glad you guys are back together. I saw you together, and I saw you when you were apart, and you were both a mess. Maybe things can get back to normal around here, huh?”

  We all agree, and Damon pulls us both in for a hug. “But what I told ya before, it still stands.”

  Maddie looks up at me. “What did he tell ya?”

  “That if I broke your heart, he’d kick my ass.”

  Even she laughs, knowing that Damon could never kick my ass.

  “Jazz is in the kitchen. We brought over breakfast. Get dressed and join us. We have some good news.” Damon quickly leaves the room.

  I let out a deep breath. “I’m glad he didn’t try kicking my ass. I would’ve hated having to beat him up in front of his little sister.”

  She laughs. “Just don’t tell him that.”

  We both dress in our own clothing and walk out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Jazz is setting plates for six.

  “Hey, juicy,” Damon teases when he sees me.

  I hold up my middle finger.

  “Who else is coming?”
Maddie asks.

  “Mom and Dad,” Damon says. “I didn’t realize that Bennet was here, but now’s as good of a time as any to introduce them. Don’t you think?” He grins as he wraps his arm around Jazz.

  She finally looks up, and her eyes grow wide. “Oh, my God. Are you two back together?” she asks in a high pitched voice that hurts my ears.

  I wrap my arm around Maddie’s shoulders and pull her to my side while we both smile and nod.

  Jazz screams with excitement and rushes over to give us both a hug. When she pulls away, she has tears running down her face.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask, handing her a napkin.

  “I’m just so happy!” She cries even louder.

  Damon walks over and pulls her in for a hug. “Pregnancy hormones,” he points out.

  Maddie and I both nod but then quickly back away. I pull her off to the side. “Is that what happens when women get pregnant?” I ask in a whisper, afraid of Jazz hearing.

  “That and many more things,” she replies.

  I press my lips together. “I think I’ll leave the kids decision up to you. I’m not going to lie; crying women freak me out.”

  She laughs and smacks me against the chest. “Why?”

  “I don’t know. I just don’t ever know what to say. I mean, is there a right thing to say?”

  “In her case, not really. You just gotta let her know you understand, even if you don’t.” She leans in and kisses me quickly, just as someone knocks on the door.

  Maddie pulls away and rushes toward the door. “Hey, Mom, Dad,” she greets them both with a hug.

  Damon hugs his mom and shakes his dad’s hand, and then Jazz gives them both a hug. When they’re all done greeting one another, everyone looks at me.

  I force a smile onto my face but am at a loss for words. I feel frozen while everyone looks at me like they expect me to break out in song or something. Finally, after Maddie watches me squirm for a little while, she steps up.

  21

  Maddie

  “Mom, Dad, this is Bennet Windsor, my boyfriend,” I say, moving over to Bennet’s side.

  “Did you say boyfriend?” my mom asks.

  I laugh and nod. “I did.”

  Mom smiles wide as she walks over. “She’s never called anyone her boyfriend before. You must be quite special,” she says, pulling Bennet in for a hug he has no say over.

  Bennet laughs and hugs her gently. When Mom pulls away, Dad walks over with his hand extended.

  “It’s nice to meet you, son.”

  “You too, sir,” Bennet says, shaking my dad’s hand.

  “Your name sounds familiar.” Dad looks him up and down.

  Damon walks over and places his hand on Bennet’s shoulder. “Bennet and I went to college together.”

  Dad points at Bennet. “That’s it. You’re the boy that got Damon so drunk, he missed his finals.”

  We all laugh.

  “To be fair, that was all Damon. He’s the one that bought that cheap vodka,” Bennet says, elbowing Damon in the ribs. “Nice to know you blamed me though,” he adds on.

  Damon shrugs and moves away while rubbing his side. “Hey, I couldn’t tell them it was all my fault. I had to miss half of Christmas break to make up my exams. Mom was pissed.”

  We all laugh before the guys move into the dining room. Mom, Jazz, and myself hang in the kitchen to finish plating the food.

  “Man, you guys went all out,” I say, adding eggs, French toast, bacon, and sausage to the plate.

  “I was hungry. Don’t judge me,” Jazz says, picking up two plates to take to the dining room.

  I laugh. “I’m the last person that will judge you on food,” I laugh out. “I’ll start some coffee.”

  I brew the coffee while Mom and Jazz take the plates to the dining room. I take down a tray and fill it with coffee cups and then add the pot of coffee when it’s done brewing. Finally, I join the rest of them in the room.

  We all talk amongst ourselves while we each pour a cup coffee and take our seats. Mom and Dad sit across from Bennet and myself, and Jazz and Damon are at either end of the table. Finally, we all have our breakfast and coffee.

  “So, what’s going on?” Dad asks, probably already too coffeed-up to sit still without knowing the reason behind this breakfast date.

  “Well, Dad,” Damon starts. “We have some good news.” He looks at Jazz. “You want to tell them?” He gives her a smile that makes me smile too. I haven’t seen him this happy in a long time.

  She grins and nods excitedly. “We had a doctor’s appointment first thing this morning, and even though it’s a little too soon to be able to say one-hundred percent, the doctor had eyes on the baby’s sex.”

  Mom cheers and claps her hands like a child that’s too excited to contain herself.

  “We’re having a…” Jazz starts. “Boy!”

  Dad and Damon jump from their seats and hug one another. Their cheers are the loudest of all.

  Jazz and Mom hug and I quickly stand and join in.

  “Congrats, Jazz,” I say as I pull away and take my seat next to Bennet.

  I watch as Dad starts to pass all his parenting wisdom down to Damon, and Mom does the same with Jazz. I lean closer to Bennet.

  “I guess this is pretty nice, huh?”

  He nods and places his arm over my shoulders. “Yeah, they all seem pretty happy.”

  I can’t force my smile to leave my face. I’m just so happy for all of us. I’m happy that Bennet and I get a second chance. I’m happy that my best friend and my brother finally found the love they both knew was there all along. I’m happy that their first son is on his way. And I’m happy for my parents who have been waiting patiently for years for the moment when they become grandparents.

  “Maybe we’ll think about kids down the road?” I ask lowly, so only Bennet can hear.

  He grins and nods. “I’d love to have children with you, Mads.” He leans closer and presses a soft kiss to my lips.

  We all enjoy breakfast and two pots of coffee before we clean up, and everyone starts to leave. Mom gives me a hug and presses a kiss to my head. “I’m so happy things are finally coming together for you.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” I say around a smile as I watch Bennet and my dad talk and laugh.

  Bennet walks my dad to the door, and he quickly kisses my head. “You behave yourself, baby girl. I like this one.” He points at Bennet.

  “Bye,” we all yell as they close the door behind them.

  I spin around and wrap my arms around Bennet’s waist. Looking up at him, I ask, “What did you and my dad talk so much about?”

  He laughs.

  “What?”

  “He wanted to know when we plan on getting married. He gave Damon and Jazz the house, and he’s worried he won’t have anything to give you.”

  I feel my face scrunch. Not because he doesn’t have anything to give me. I’m not expecting anything, but I had no idea he gave Damon the house.

  I spin around and look at them. They clearly overheard, but they’re trying to pretend they have no idea what’s going on. Damon is looking at the ceiling, and Jazz is looking at the floor while rubbing her belly.

  “Seriously, you two?”

  They both jump, trying to explain.

  “You can’t hit me! I’m pregnant!” Jazz yells, causing us all to laugh.

  “When have I ever hit you?” I ask, tilting my head to the side.

  She shrugs. “You never know. You are a boxer now.”

  I snort and roll my eyes.

  “I’m sorry, Mads. I didn’t think you’d want the house,” Damon says.

  I laugh. “I don’t want the house. Plus, Bennet is building us a new one.” I hug him closer and stick my tongue out at them.

  They freeze for a second, then realize that I’m not mad about Dad giving them the house. Damon relaxes and turns toward Bennet. “Is that why you bought such a big lot?”

  He nods as his hands rub up and down my back. “I w
as just thinking ahead.”

  “That’s not too far from us. When you guys have kids, they’ll get to grow up together,” Jazz says.

  Bennet and I pull apart, going in separate directions.

  “I’m going to finish up in the dining room,” Bennet says, taking off.

  “I’m going to load the dishwasher,” I say, nearly pushing Jazz and Damon out of the way.

  Jazz laughs. “I didn’t mean now. I just meant, one day.”

  “We’ll see,” I tell her with a grin.

  “Are you sure this looks okay?” I ask, standing back and looking myself over in the mirror.

  Bennet adjusts his tie. “You look beautiful,” he whispers in my ear just before he presses a kiss to my cheek.

  I let out a deep breath. “I’m so nervous. I mean, I know I met your mom before, but she wasn’t too happy about us.”

  Bennet sits on the edge of the bed and pulls on his shoes. “Since my dad has passed, she’s a lot different.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask, applying a light pink lipstick to my lips.

  He looks up, and our eyes meet in the mirror. “Before, she was more worried about money and appearances. But now, I think losing my dad has taught her what’s really important. She no longer spends her days shopping and taking lavish vacations. She actually sold the house that she and dad shared. She moved into a nice little townhouse just outside the city. She knows she doesn’t need that big place just for her. She’s downsized quite a bit. She’s more focused on family, staying healthy, and spending her time with people she enjoys.” He laughs. “She actually joined a book club and a gardening club. She’s… I don’t know, the happiest I’ve ever seen her.”

  I smile as I turn around to face him directly. “That’s great. What about your sister?”

  He shrugs. “I mean, we won’t have any problems out of her. She’s one that supports all love. She’s very free-spirited. But I’m hoping to talk her into joining the company tonight.”