by Jennifer Ann
Releasing a soft sigh, she gives me a smile that makes my heart skip. After unhooking her bra and pulling it off her arms, I cup her beautiful breasts in my hands and take my time enjoying them, giving each perfect swell the attention it deserves with my mouth. Her fingers thread through my hair and yank hard enough for me to get the hint: she wants me. Now.
My lips wander down to her soft belly and give it a tender kiss. It’s crazy to think our child’s somewhere inside. “Hi, little butterfly,” I whisper.
Sharlo chokes out my name in a happy cry. Continuing to drag my lips across her vanilla scented skin, I move down her hot little body until I’ve reached the skin just above her short skirt. She makes a throaty noise when I dig my fingers into her hips and nip her flesh with my teeth.
Now my name falling from her lips sounds like a desperate plea, so I hook her skirt with my fingers and pull it down, none too careful. I’ve been fantasizing about this moment for so many goddamn weeks that it physically pains me to not be buried inside of her already. She’s gasping as her warm little fingers meet mine to tug at her panties. Finally, I’m given the kind of fan-fucking-tastic view I’ve been dreaming about every night since I left.
I waste no time in sticking my tongue inside her warm slit. She mewls like a jungle cat, tugging my hair at the roots. As I continue to taste her sweetness, digging my fingers into her peachy ass, she grinds her hips against my face while cooing in approval. I suck and tug on her little bud with my teeth until she’s making carnal noises in her throat and shuddering against me. I’ve never heard anything as fucking hot as Sharlo coming apart because of something I’ve done.
The need to take her vibrates through my core as I rise back up to study her pink cheeks and eyes glazed over with lust. It’s hard to tell if she’s coherent when she tugs at my shorts, licking her lips with the sight of my cock springing free.
“It would seem I’ve missed some parts of you more than others,” she teases among a darkened gaze.
Chuckling, I kiss my way back up the curve of her neck until I meet her lips. She claims my mouth with a stuttered breath, kissing me with renewed purpose. A flame of hope burns bright in my gut. She’s the only thing I’ve ever selfishly wanted. If we can find a way to make this work, to raise our child together and live as a family, I’ll die a ridiculously happy man.
She slithers down beneath me, perfect aligning my pulsating dick with her opening, and guides my hips until I’m sliding inside, hissing through my teeth with the glorious feel of her surrounding me. I take my time stroking in and out, twisting my hips and savoring the blissful look that comes over her feminine features as she moans my name.
Heart bursting with joy, I lean down to ravage her lips once more before muttering, “I’ll never let you go again, little butterfly.”
A swell of ecstasy erupts at the base of my spine with the feel of her sweet little pussy clenching around me, squeezing my cock for all it’s worth. When I move to pull out of her, she clamps down on my shoulders and meets my gaze.
“Damage has already been done,” she teases with a twinkle in her eye.
Once I’ve finished erupting inside of her, I collapse against the mattress. Snuggling into my chest, she says, “That was lovely, but if it’s alright with you, I’d rather reprieve that long of a break in the future.”
I wrap her in my arms, groaning when the feel of her skin on my cock makes it harden again. Ignoring it, I bury my face in her hair and inhale her scent as well as her essence. How did I have the strength to leave her?
“You have no idea what you do to me,” I say, blowing out a long breath.
“Something favorable, I hope.” I can hear the humor in her tone, but the way she tilts her head back to look me in the eye, it’s easy to see the doubt lingering behind her beautiful blue eyes.
“I’m staying for good this time. I’m not going back.”
She props herself on an elbow, her expression lit with hope. “What about the farm?”
“They’ll have to find someone to take my place. My cousin seemed interested in coming back. Maybe he’ll take over. And Nolan said there’s good money in MMA fighting. I have enough in savings to live off until he sets me up for some real fights.”
Fighting against a bright smile, she rests her hand on my chest. “You need to properly think this through. I don’t imagine a family business is something you can so easily step away from.”
“I have thought it through. Every day since I left you. Farming was never my thing. I only stuck around after high school because someone needed to keep an eye on our dad.” I lift my hand to stroke the back of her head with my fingers. “Now that he’s gone, the things that are important to me have changed. My siblings are old enough to make their own mistakes without me there to clean up after them. Being a good dad is my number one priority now.”
“I’m worried your expectations are set far too high.” She lets her head drop against my chest and breaths out a quiet little sigh. “I haven’t the slightest idea how to be a proper mum. There are days when I think it would be best to give the little nugget away so it has a fair chance.”
My fingers clamp into her skin harder than I intend. No fucking way I’m letting her give my child up for adoption. “We’ll learn the parenting thing together.” I loosen my grip on her and bury my face inside her hair. “I promise you won’t have to do this on your own.”
Rather than saying anything in return, her fingers trail over the edges of my chest, back and forth, until she’s breathing steadily in my arms. As I stare at the ceiling, I find myself amazed at how fucking happy she has made me. For the first time in what feels like forever, my heart has made room to love someone other than the family I grew up with.
Sunlight fills the room when I wake to an empty bed and the sounds of loud gagging. I stumble across to the massive bathroom and find a naked Sharlo bent over the toilet. When she catches me watching her from the doorway, she lets out a surprised squeak before slapping a hand over her heart. Guilt for making her jump washes over me like a tidal wave.
“You scared the shit out of me!” she gasps from behind a curtain of hair. “Look away. You mustn’t see me like this. I’m hideous.”
“You’ll always be beautiful to me, little butterfly.” I cross the room and lower to the tiled floor at her side. Taking her silky blond hair in one hand, I press my lips against her clammy neck. “Sorry I scared you. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fine, I promise. Just a bit nauseated. Can’t decide which is worse—these sickening spells or times when dinner makes a repeat performance.”
“Why are you so jumpy?”
She makes a choking-laugh noise before shaking her head. I help her back on her feet and wrap her in my arms. When she slumps against me, her shoulders begin to tremble.
“What’s going on?” I demand, kissing the top of her head. “Tell me, baby.”
“Bloody hormones have made me a diabolical mess,” she mutters, pulling back to meet my stare. Her hands raise to either side of my jaw. “Before I say one word, you must promise me that you’ll stay calm.”
“Sharlo,” I warn with an impatient growl.
Dropping her hands to my arms around her, she pulls in a stuttered breath. “I’ve been living with Nolan because it would seem I’ve caught the attention of a nutter.”
Acid rises in my chest, making it harder than a motherfucker to swallow. “What?”
“It’s all under control. It was nothing more than prank calls and a few letters that made about as much sense as Ozzy Osbourne delivering a commencement speech. Nolan thought it was best if I stay with him for a time to see if it would stop, and it has. I’m simply a bit over-sensitive because of the baby.”
“What did the letters say?” I bite out.
“Nothing to get all worked up over, sweetheart. Someone with a knack for jealousy and foul language, hardly worth your time. Some detectives took the notes as evidence.”
“The police were involved?”
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br /> “They came to investigate a broken window. The important thing is that I was never physically harmed. It merely left me angry I wasn’t able to take the edge off with a shot of something strong.”
I grind my teeth together in an attempt to keep my shit together. I should’ve done more to get in touch with her while I was gone. I was fucking around back home while someone was trying to scare the shit out of my girl. The way she keeps trying to make the situation seem less serious, it seems they succeeded.
“Stay here,” I say, moving away from her.
Her little feet slap against the tile behind me. “Wait! Where are you going?”
In record time I’ve thrown on my shorts and sleeveless shirt. Sharlo hangs on my arm as I storm toward the suite’s entrance.
“Please,” she cries. “You mustn’t leave when you’re this angry. Look at me! I’m perfectly fine. Whatever you’re thinking of doing can wait. We need to talk this through!”
Looking down at her tear-streaked cheeks, I feel like I’ve been gutted with a filet knife. I refuse to sit around yet again while the cops fail at catching the person responsible. I bend down to give her a deep, caressing kiss that should leave no doubt in her mind what she means to me. Her lips, salty with tears, part when I slip my tongue inside, and she reaches up to clutch my hair in her fists. Her quiet whimpers are absorbed inside my mouth as I kiss her with everything I have to offer.
When ending the kiss, I shake my head and stare into her beautiful eyes. It scares the living shit out of me when I realize my entire world has become invested in only her and the life she’s carrying. “Don’t ask me to stand by and watch while someone hurts the woman I love,” I tell her.
Her swollen lips parting with a quiet gasp are the last thing I see before taking off running down the hallway. “We don’t even know who did this!” she calls after me.
But I have a pretty fucking good idea, and I’m going to make the son of a bitch pay.
The sun is high in the sky by the time I pound on the door until it feels like my fist will punch right through. After scoring an address from one of the guys at the gym, I hardly remember getting in a taxi and giving the driver the house number. I forgot my cell phone in the hotel, but at least I had the sense of mind to grab my wallet.
“Answer the fucking door, Vaughn!” I roar, pounding again. “We need to talk!”
The door finally swings open, banging against the wall inside. Freddie’s face is as raw as hamburger from my punches, and one eye has swelled shut. Looking like he just rolled out of bed, dark hair sticking up every which way and wearing nothing more than a pair of boxers, his dark brows pull together with a scowl.
When his mouth opens, I don’t give him the chance to say anything before I tackle him to the ground. My already sore muscles scream in pain as we fall back into a rickety stairway and begin to wrestle. Neither of us are at full strength so soon after the fight, but I manage to get him in a headlock before long.
“Get the fuck off me!” he snarls, clawing at my arm.
“I know you’ve been stalking her, you sick fuck!” I roar.
“What the fuck you talkin’ about? Stalking who?”
“My girl, Sharlo!”
“I haven’t done shit to her! Fuckin’ A, man! How’d you find my house?”
“I know it was you—you knew her name!” I remind him, tightening my hold around his neck. “Tell me the truth or so help me god they’ll have to identify you with dental records by the time I’m through with you!”
“I don’t have a fucking clue what you’re talking about, man. The only time I’ve ever had anything to your girl was the first time we met at the gym. Just because I talked smack about her during the fight doesn’t mean I’m some kind of psycho. It was all just a technique to get you riled up. Stalking women isn’t my thing! I’m not into that kind of shit!”
“Why should I believe you?”
“Because I have a wife and two babies! I’m not stupid enough to do something that could land me in jail. I wouldn’t give them up for the world. Especially not for some amateur match!”
Realizing I may have gone too far, I release him and back away. He’s quick to crawl away from me as he sputters and tries to catch his breath. Either he really is a psychopath and able to talk his way out of the situation, or he’s being sincere and had nothing to do with Sharlo’s harassment. But Freddie? A family man? The alternative—that he’s lying—seems much easier to swallow.
“If I find out you had anything to do with it, I’ll come back and finish you off,” I warn as he’s collecting himself off the floor.
A curvy, dark-haired woman in shorts and a tank top comes dashing down the stairway with a bundle of blankets in her arms. When the baby she’s holding whimpers, she moves the bundle up to her shoulder and pats it lightly, her diamond ring catching my eye. Jesus, he really does have a family.
The look of concern on the woman’s face comes off as harsh as a slap to the face. It’s the same look Sharlo gave me before I stormed out of our hotel room. What the hell was I thinking, leaving her to assault an innocent man?
“Baby?” she asks Freddie in a pinched voice, looking from me to her husband. “What happened? Is everything okay?”
Freddie gathers the woman in his arms and bends to kiss their child’s head. “Everything’s fine, sweetheart.” Then he tilts his head my way and smiles. “Remember James from the match last night? He just came by to apologize for beating me down. He’s begging for a re-match so I can return the favor.”
“Doubtful,” the wife snaps, narrowing her dark eyes my way. “You were ruthless in what was supposed to be a fight in the name of fun. I think it’s time for you to leave.”
“I’m sorry. I made a mistake.” Hanging my head, I lower my gaze and turn away. Guess I’m a shit judge of character after all.
“When you find the person responsible, don’t let anger cloud your judgment,” Freddie calls out. I spin back around to see him gesture to his wife and their baby. “It’s not worth losing the things that are most important in life.”
His words hit home, making my stomach churn.
By the time I’ve made my way back to the hotel, I already know I’m in the deepest of shit before the suite door flings open to a tiny little blonde dressed in bright colors that hurt my nearly swollen shut eye. When I meet the woman’s narrowed gaze, I finally recognize her as Charlie’s older sister, Katie. If looks could kill, I’d be a dead man twice over.
“You asshole!” she exclaims, grabbing a handful of my shirt and hauling me inside. “Okay, I’m sorry I called you that because I don’t actually know you, but you can’t just take off on a pregnant woman when you’re upset! Are you out of your mind?”
“Possibly,” I grumble.
Over the top of her head, I catch Sharlo bursting from the bedroom doors in a silk robe, looking the worst I’ve seen her. Her red-rimmed eyes widen behind her wild hair and her mouth forms a perfect “O” as she runs toward me.
“I was so bloody worried!” she cries, bumping Katie out of the way and throwing herself into my arms. “Where did you run off to?”
Holding my girl tight, I throw a pleading look Katie’s way. Arms crossed over her stomach, she makes a little pouting noise before collecting her purse and cell phone off the coffee table.
“I’m not leaving until I know you two are going to be okay,” she announces. “I’ll be in the hallway if you need me, Shar.” Her icy stare flickers back to me as she makes her way toward the door. “Don’t make me unleash my crazy.” A moment later, the door slams shut behind her.
“I’m sorry, baby,” I tell Sharlo, rubbing her back. “I was so pissed I couldn’t think straight.”
“Where’d you go?” she asks, burying her face in my chest.
“Doesn’t matter. I was wrong. I should’ve stayed and talked it out like you said.”
Her ocean-blues travel upward to meet mine, overflowing with fresh tears. “I’m no expert on relationships, but I’
m fairly certain there’s a rule out there that clearly states you can’t simply tell a girl you’re in love with her for the first time and then storm away without affording her the opportunity to reciprocate.”
A tight band of hope expands across my chest when I draw in a sharp breath. Before I know it, the edges of my lips are curling with a smile. “Are you saying you love me too?”
“Well now that you’ve gone and sucked the romance right out of the moment, I’m not so sure I’m ready to declare my feelings at this point in time.” Clicking her tongue, she rolls her eyes to their corners. “Of course I love you, sweetheart. I don’t blubber like a school girl for just anyone.”
Relieved she isn’t as angry as I had expected, I bend to kiss her. Although I vow to find the person responsible for making her life hell, Freddie’s warning hangs heavily in the back of my mind. I swear to myself that I won’t do anything to make Sharlo hate me or, worse yet, do something that would make me lose the two people I wouldn’t know how to live without.
Chapter 18
SOFIA
Apparently the universe doesn’t think it’s sufficient enough that my charter plane was delayed by three hours after some imbecile had it double booked, or that the gargantuan my brother-in-law sent to pick me up smells as if he bathes in some off-brand cologne that reminds me of the cheap soap found in public bathrooms. Oh no. Because when I step out of the SUV in front of what must be my little sister’s vacation home in the Hamptons, I twist my ankle on the way down. Not only does my cappuccino spill down the front of my white skirt, but the heel on my Valentinos snaps like a twig.
“Come on!” I bleat, catching myself on the side of the vehicle. “Could this day get any shittier?”
The driver—I believe he said his name was Donny or something to that affect—comes to my aid from the rear of the vehicle. As I slip the sandals off both feet, the bear-sized man holds my arm, burying my bicep in his massive grip. Even though it’s presumptuous for him to touch me in any way, I can’t deny the small wave of flattery that rises in my chest. I’ve been pushing attractive men away for so long that I’m unprepared for the slightest display of intimacy.
