by Jessica Wood
“You’ll see.” He gave me a teasing smile.
He guided me through the hallway, past the living room, and toward the terrace. When I saw the terrace, I gasped. A white canopy bed sat in the middle of the large terrace, and every inch of the large terrace around the bed was lit up with tea-light candles. The candles flickered like a sea of stars against the marble floor of the terrace. In the distance, the waves crashed rhythmically against the rocks. I was instantly reminded of my memories of my first dream of Brandon and our night in Cancun. I was speechless and looked at him in awe. His eyes were warm and seductive, and I felt our need for each other pulse between us.
“I wanted to recreate the dreams you told me about and make them into a reality,” he said. His voice was deep and full of emotion as he guided me towards the bed. “I wanted it to be perfect for you. For us.”
Forcing my gaze away from him, I looked again at the sunset over the horizon, the canopy bed, and the sea of candles. “This is beyond perfect, Brandon. This is far better than any of my dreams. I can’t believe you did this for me.”
“For us, Emma. I want our first time to be perfect.”
I turned towards him, and we were transfixed on one another the instant our eyes locked. His full lips curved into a breathtaking smile, and those deep-set dimples made me dizzy with anticipation. He was beyond handsome tonight. The setting sun touched his face and soften his chiseled features. The light breeze blew through his dark brown locks.
He pulled me closer to him as we got to the canopy bed. His embrace was warm and comforting, and his intoxicating natural scent made my knees weak.
“And since you seem to love champagne in your dreams and when you’re drunk, this is only fitting” he teased as he popped open a bottle of Dom Pérignon and poured it into two crystal flutes. He handed me a glass and raised his toward me. “I may be the man of your dreams,” he began with wink, “but I want to be the man of your reality. Since I’ve met you, I have not been able to take my mind off of you, because when I think of you, I am utterly happy. And I want to spend the rest of my life making you as happy as you’ve made me. So to us. To the beginning of our lives together.” Our glasses touched with a light ping and we drank as our eyes remained lock to one another.
“Brandon, I cannot remember the last time I’ve been this happy. I don’t know what I did to deserve someone like you.”
“Emma, you’re amazing,” he said with a light chuckle. He put down our champagne flutes and pulled me closer to him. “And the funny thing is, you don’t seem to know how incredibly amazing you are. You’re genuine and kind, and you always make me laugh. I feel like a different and better man when I’m with you—I feel complete.” He leaned down and gently kissed me on the lips. “For the longest time I’ve felt empty and incomplete and I didn’t know why I felt that way. But when I met you and then got to know you, I realized that you’re the missing piece to my puzzle. You are what makes me whole, and I can’t imagine a life without you.”
I melted at his words and a tear rolled down my cheeks.
“What’s wrong?” Brandon said with concern as he wiped the tear from my face.
“Absolutely nothing,” I whispered. “I’m just so happy to hear you say those things, because”—I looked into his eyes—“that’s exactly how I feel. You make me feel safe and complete, and I can’t imagine a life without you.” I put my arms around him and pulled his face down closer to mine. “Brandon, I want you to be my first and my last.”
He kissed me softly. His lips gently teased me as his tongue licked my upper lip and then my lower. I let out a whimper and his kisses became deeper and rougher. His full lips were soft and delicious as they enveloped mine. I eagerly kissed him back, and I could sense his desperate wanting as his lips and tongue explored me more deeply.
He gently pulled away as he playfully planted kisses down my neck and across my shoulders, leaving my skin tingling with anticipation. He then removed the spaghetti straps of my sundress dress off my shoulders, and the dress slid down my body and landed on the floor. I heard his sharp intake of breathe as he looked at me for the first time.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured in my ear, his warm breathe sending a shiver down my spine.
We locked eyes again, and suddenly, our lips met again, this time, with more urgency and need. He sat down on the bed and pulled me toward him, and I straddled him. Our bodies were intertwined into each other as our lips continued to discover one another’s without missing a beat. I slowly unbuttoned and removed his shirt, and I inhaled sharply as I took him all in—his hard, muscular chest, his defined abs, and the triangle that led to his erection. I shifted my body on top of him and felt a growing need in the pit of my stomach as I felt the push of his erection through his pants and through my panties.
I felt his hands moving all over my body—rough, strong, and desperate—down my back and down my panties, where he grabbed my butt cheeks and pulled me up against him. I gasped as I felt his hardness pushed up against me.
His lips left mine as they explored the nape of my neck and my ears. He unhooked and removed my bra, and he laid my back on the bed as he got on top of me. His mouth instantly found my breasts and his tongue worked in unison with his lips. His mouth was soft at first, but the roughness and urgency grew, and I heard a primal groan escape him. The urgency in his movements caused my body to grow hot with need, and I gasped with pleasure as my body naturally responded to his touch. His soft, wet tongue, his rough hands sent electric, hot shockwaves through my body, causing a growing throb at the pit of my stomach.
“Emma. You’re so hot,” he said, his voice ragged with lust. “Do you know how much I need you? Do you know how much you turn me on?” He grabbed my hand and guided me down onto his pants, where his manhood was desperately pushing through.
The instant my hands felt the hardness, I could not resist any longer. “I need you more and I need you now,” I moaned as I unzipped his pants. I inhaled sharply as my hand found him—long, smooth, and ready.
His head jerked back uncontrollably as I ran my hands down the length of his erection. “Oh God, Emma, you feel unbelievable.” His voice was coming out more and more strained and shaky. “I don’t think I can take it any longer,” he stammered out.
He then moved up slightly and laid me down on my back. He quickly removed the rest of his clothes. I looked up at him and marveled at his gorgeous, muscular body. He was a vision of perfection. My eyes immediately locked on to his long, hard erection, and the need inside me was ready to explode in anticipation.
I heard him unwrap a condom and saw him put it on his hardness, and the anticipation grew inside me. Within seconds, he was on top of me. He licked my ears and his tongue caused waves of pleasure to crash through my body. As he moved slowly and rhythmically on top of me, I could feel his erection through my panties and a flush of warmth spread through me as every part of my body came alive. I felt him slowly remove my panties down my leg and off of me.
“You’re so hot, Emma,” he said as he looked at my naked body. Then he got back on top of me and I waited for him to finally make love to me. But he did not enter me. Instead, his lips continued to explore my body as they inched their way down in between my inner thighs.
I gasped as waves of pleasure paralyzed me while his lips and tongue explored me.
“Please,” I said in ragged breaths. “I can’t take it any longer. I want to come with you inside me.” I wanted him to stop so that he could be inside me, yet my hips desperately arching up toward his mouth and tongue, begging for them to continue.
He finally stopped and moved back on top of me. “You taste amazing,” he murmured in my ear.
“I need you inside me,” I moaned as I wrapped my legs around him, arched, and moved up against his erection.
“My God, Emma, you’re driving me crazy. If you don’t stop your hips now, I may come all over you—not in you.” His voice was raw and ragged and his eyes were clouded with lust.
“Then come inside me, Brandon. Make love to me,” I purred.
Finally, I felt the tip of him push against my opening and I let out a deep moan of anticipation. He slowly inched himself in me and I gasped in pleasure and in pain. The sensation of him inside me sent electric current through me and was beyond anything I could have ever imagined—or ever dreamed. I rocked my hips in unison to his thrusts. He moved rhythmically inside me—slow at first, but faster and harder the deeper he went inside me.
He let out a deep, primal groan of desire. “Ohmygod, Emma, you feel incredible. You’re so tight. I…I’m not sure I can last much longer.”
I wanted to answer him, but I couldn’t. I moaned violently as my body pulsated with pleasure.
After several long, excruciating minutes of bliss I had never felt before, my body became paralyzed and spasms of pleasure rippled through me as I came and experienced ecstasy for the first time.
Seconds later, I felt Brandon thrust inside me harder and saw his head jerk violently as he let out a loud groan of pleasure. Then I felt him spasm inside of me, causing another ripple of pleasure to greet me as we came together.
After some time, he collapsed on top of me. I could smell the mixture of sweat and sex on him and felt his hot breath against my face.
“You’re incredible, Emma,” he said as he feel into a deep sleep.
“You are too, Brandon,” I whispered to him. And I knew at that moment that I was forever his, that somehow we had been destined to meet, and after tonight, our lives would inextricably be connected forever.
***
My eyes fluttered opened as rays of sunlight broke through the window. For a second, I panicked. Was it another dream?
I immediately felt my body relax as my consciousness registered Brandon’s arms around me and felt his body entangled around mine as he spooned me. My body felt slightly raw but satisfied, and I smiled in pleasure as the memories of last night came back to me.
I lightly shifted and my back felt his growing morning hardness against my body. I could not resist rubbing my body against his hardness, feeling it grow stiffer against me. He groaned deeply and I felt his embrace around me tighten.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he murmured in my ear.
I felt his lips and tongue exploring the nape of my neck, sending a wave of pleasure down my body. His hand grabbed my breast as his fingertips circled my nipple, and I gasped with pleasure.
“Do you feel how hard I am for you already?”
I nodded in response and moaned as I felt his hardness move in between my thighs.
“Do you feel how wet I am for you?”
I felt his hand move down in between my thighs and gasped as he inserted two of his rough fingers inside me. My body responded automatically as my hips rocked against his fingers, urging them to go deeper inside me.
“God, you are so wet. I want to take you fast and hard.” His voice was uneven and I felt his erection move back and forth against my inner thigh.
“Yes, take me now. I need you now,” I gasped as my hips rocked in unison to his body.
I heard him grab a condom from the side table, and I waited in anticipation.
He moved me to my back and our eyes locked. “You are so incredibly sexy,” he said as he plunged the entire length of his erection inside me. I cried in painful pleasure as I grabbed on to his back to pull him closer to me. He was slow at first but quickly moved faster and went deeper with every gasp that escaped my lips. After several minutes of delirious ecstasy, I felt him spasm inside me, and waves of pleasure crashed through me as I came with him.
We lay there with our bodies intertwined and connected. He looked at me, and I felt my body melt. “I’m falling in love with you, Emma,” he whispered.
“I’m in love with you, Brandon,” I said. “You are literally the man of my dreams.”
He chuckled and he kissed me gently on the nose. “Let me go clean up real quick,” he said.
I watched and admired Brandon’s naked body in all its glory as he got up from the bed and headed toward the bathroom. I still could not believe that we were together. After all that had happened, we were finally together and crazy about one another.
The doorbell rang from the living room. “Hey, babe, can you get the door? I think it’s the courier dropping off the mock-ups of the marketing presentation for next week.”
“Sure,” I said. I put on a pair of Brandon’s boxers and a button-up shirt and headed towards the door. He called me babe! I thought as I hugged myself in utter delight and pictured the wonderful life Brandon and I would have together.
I opened the door, and standing on the other side was a stunning brunette who appeared to be in her mid-twenties.
“Good morning. How can I help you?” I asked.
“Who the fuck are you?” she asked as she looked at me in disgust.
Shocked by her words, I opened my mouth but couldn’t speak.
“Hello?” she asked. “Why are you wearing Brandon’s clothes?” she asked.
“Who…who are you?” I finally stammered out.
“I’m Brandon’s girlfriend! Who the fuck are you?”
Her words sent a shockwave of pain through my body as I tried to comprehend the gravity of who she was.
“Emma?” came Brandon’s voice from behind me.
I turned around, and the stunned look on his face when he saw who was at the door answered the question I couldn’t seemed to ask out loud.
It was true. Brandon—my Brandon—the man who had haunted my dreams for months, the man who I had serendipitously met in Cancun, the man who had taken my virginity and stolen my heart—had a girlfriend.
Author’s Note
The exciting conclusion to Emma’s story, The Day to Remember, can be found here.
If you would like to stay informed of the release date, as well as other releases, teasers, and news on my upcoming books, please sign up for Jessica Wood’s mailing list.
Crazy Beautiful Love
J. S. Cooper
Chapter One
Logan
I like to clear my mind at night, so I usually go for a long walk down by the pier. It’s not my favorite spot, but it’s easy to blend into the crowds of people there. I’m unassuming in a crowd; no one looks at me too hard or too suspiciously. At the pier, I’m just another guy. No one’s whispering that I look like one of the Martelli brothers. No one’s pointing and saying, “I think that’s Logan Martelli,” in awe-struck tones as if I were Al Capone or some mafia boss. It’s laughable how many people know me or know of me. I almost feel famous but not in the good way. That’s the problem with living in a small town like River Valley. Everyone thinks they know you, but really they know nothing at all.
I stared out at the water and studied the moonlit ripples as they ebbed and flowed. There was a certain magic in the water that entranced me. Maybe it was because the water didn’t lie. What you saw reflected in her murky, silvery depths was what you got. Like tonight, the moon glowed in all its ominous glory, and there was nothing hidden. The same thing couldn’t be said of human beings. There were always so many secrets hidden inside that weren’t reflected in the seemingly happy and perfect surfaces. I looked around at the couples holding hands and saw Roger Martin walking with his girlfriend Bella Casey. She was giggling up at him, and he was grinning at her lovingly. Anyone watching them would think that they were deeply in love, only I knew better. Roger was a barely-able-to-keep-it-together drunk, and Bella was in love with my brother, Jared. She called him and stalked him so much that she was lucky that he was a Martelli. Martellis didn’t go to the police and file restraining orders; even if we did, the police would laugh in our faces.
I turned to look at the water again when I saw a glimpse of someone darting by me. And when I say dart, I mean running like lightning. I watched as the figure looked back quickly, and I was startled by the intense blue eyes that connected with mine for the briefest second. It wasn’t the stare that shook me, but the fact that
it was a girl. She winked at me and continued running, and I stood there and watched as two policemen rushed past me and ran after her. I wasn’t the only one who noticed the chase that was happening; people everywhere were stopping and gaping, whispering ferociously. Everyone wanted to know what was going on, and I had to admit I was curious as well. Why were the police chasing a girl? She wasn’t anyone I knew, and I knew most of the bad folks in town.
I saw Old Man Roberts hobbling up to a couple a few feet away from me, his face red and animated. “He tried to steal a cop car,” he gasped out. “He got in the car and drove off, but he wasn’t smart enough to—”
“Who, who?” The male of the couple was loud and excited. “Who was it?”
“Well, I don’t know. But I bet it was Logan Martelli.” Old Man Roberts’s voice was loud. I clenched my fist; of course I would get the blame. If it wasn’t me, it would be one of my brothers, Vincent or Jared. I wanted to laugh at the irony. I would love to steal a cop car for all their harassment against my family, but I’d never been brave enough. Not like this girl, whoever she was. Poor girl. I shook my head, as I walked back up the pier. There was no way she wouldn’t get caught. There was no way she could outrun two guys. Especially on a night like tonight when the pathways were so packed with people. What a poor choice of locale. Didn’t she know you needed to pick a place where you wouldn’t be seen, and where you could have a clean getaway when you stole a car? I laughed to myself as I cut across the pathway and headed to the parking lot. Though I should thank her; she’d made it easier for me tonight.
I spotted the black Toyota Corolla and walked over to it slowly and casually, running my hands through my dark blond hair. I couldn’t stop myself from grinning. Tonight’s take was going to be easy. I pulled out my lock pick and glanced around casually to make sure no one was coming. I tried the different keys, almost laughing as the third one opened the door. I loved Toyotas. Always so easy to break into. I got into the car quickly and closed the door. I reached over to the glove compartment and opened it to see if my luck was going to continue. It was. I felt the spare key in my fingers and pulled it out quickly and started the car. I reversed and pulled out of the parking lot, laughing once again at my good luck. Thanks to good ol’ blue eyes, this was the easiest car I had ever stolen. Nobody would be expecting it, not when they thought I was being chased down by the police at that very moment.
