“What the hell did you do with her?”
He took a long breath. “I can’t remember.”
Eli stepped forward, gun cocked, and pressed it to Troy’s forehead. “Tell me now, fucker.”
But Troy’s eyes just fluttered shut. He was worthless. Eli yanked him up, sat him on the toilet, and pulled out his handcuffs. He let him keep his hand to his head and cuffed the other to a towel bar. He’d deal with him later. Right now, he needed to find Bryn.
He stepped out of the bathroom and flipped some light switches in the hallway. The hall lit up, a trail of blood from the front door. Please let it all be Troy’s.
“Bryn!” he called, walking through the house, flipping lights on in every room, checking every closet. Nothing. She must have done the damage to Troy’s head and run off. He headed back outside, pulling out his cell and dialing the station. “This is Officer Augustine. I need an ambulance to 725 Thompson Street. And I need as many patrol cars as possible combing the area for a thirty-four-year-old female, blond hair. She’s probably barefoot and wearing lingerie.”
“What?” the dispatcher said.
“You heard me right. Get on it. Now.” Eli ended the call before the dispatcher had a chance to utter anything else. He didn’t have time for stupid chitchat.
He got back in his car and drove. He circled the block three times and saw nothing. She couldn’t have gotten too far. He pulled into a convenience store parking lot at the end of the street.
Eli flashed his badge then pulled out his cell phone with a photo he’d taken of Bryn the day they were at the beach. “Have you seen this woman?”
The clerk shook his head. “No, dude.”
Eli rolled his eyes and sighed. “Did you see a woman in here or walk past wearing just a bra and underwear?”
The kid stared off into space for a moment. “Oh yeah. I did see a hot chick just a little while ago when I was outside taking my break. Smokin’ bod.”
Eli wanted to pistol-whip the dopey grin off his face. “And you just let her run off without asking if she was in trouble?”
“Sorry, dude. She was gone before I could do anything.”
Eli rubbed his hand over his face. “Which way did she go?”
The kid pointed to the right. “That way.”
Eli left without another word. Stupid fucking idiot. He got back into his car and headed right, scouring the sidewalk. There wasn’t much in this part of the city. Some brownstones and businesses that had long since closed up for the day. A school and its playground. He drove slow as he searched. The light from a headlight on the other side of the road reflected off something orange. Bright orange. In the playground. Could it be?
Eli pulled the car over, barely even putting it in park before he hopped out. Engine still running, he left the door open as he rushed over. “Bryn?”
She took off running.
He ran after her. “Wait. It’s Eli.”
She slowed and stopped, just standing there, her back to him. He closed the space between them and as he reached her, could see she was sobbing.
“I’m here now. Everything’s going to be okay.”
He stepped closer, risking everything by putting his hands out to touch her, comfort her. She jumped as he came in contact with her and he pulled away. But he put his hands back on her, skin like ice. He rubbed her arms as she cried and eventually she let herself rest against him. Eli wrapped his arms around her as she shivered.
She turned, burying her face in his chest, her sobs having subsided. “I’m so sorry. You were right. I was so stupid.”
“No.” He held her tight, his hands caressing her chilled body. He took off his shirt and wrapped it around her, helping her into it. He pulled her back to him, trying his best to warm her. “Everything’s going to be just fine.”
But she started crying again, her words almost inaudible. “But I killed him.”
“No, you didn’t. He’s fine. I handcuffed him in his bathroom and sent an ambulance to go get him. He’s got a nasty gash, but he’ll live. You did the right thing.”
He held her until she stopped crying, rubbing her back, wishing he could take away the horrific thing she’d experienced that night. “You ready to get out of here?”
She nodded against his chest and he escorted her toward his car, arm wrapped around her. The phone rang in his pocket and he pulled it out. His sergeant.
“We got the guy and he’s on his way in for some stitches. When they finish, he’ll be escorted to the precinct. Any luck finding her?”
“I have her. I’m taking her to the hospital.”
“No,” Bryn interrupted. “I just want to go home.”
“I really think you should get looked at.”
“I’m fine. I just want a shower and my bed. Please?”
He couldn’t deny her that. “Anything you need.” Turning back to his phone he told his sergeant he’d check in the next day.
Eli walked Bryn to his car and settled her in the passenger seat. He got in and drove toward Kenville. The ride was quiet. He kept looking to her every other minute, making sure she was okay. She just stared ahead. How awful it must have been for her. All he wanted to do was hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay.
He pulled up in front of her house, the street dark and quiet.
“Thank you. For finding me.” He turned to her, the moonlight shining on her face. “And for not leaving when I told you to.”
He reached across the car, taking her hand in his. “I love you and I’ll never leave you.”
Somehow, in spite of everything that had happened to her that night, she managed a small smile and squeezed his hand.
CHAPTER Thirty-four
BRYN WOKE for a second morning in a row wrapped in Eli’s arms after a night of zero lovemaking. And that was plenty fine by her. Her arm lay across his chest, her body nuzzled into the crook of his arm. Warm. Relaxed. Home. She belonged with Eli. She loved Eli. And she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, as long as he still wanted to as well. She’d been really nasty to him at the show, and was pretty embarrassed about that now.
He squeezed her and kissed the top of her head. “Good morning.”
She picked her head up and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Good morning right back at ya.”
“Did you sleep okay?”
“I did.” She felt good. Real good. Much better than one probably should feel after being abducted. “You?”
“I could never have a bad night lying next to you.”
She snuggled back in. “Thank you for everything you did last night.”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“But I do.” She pushed up, rested on her elbow above him. “The things I said to you and the way I yelled . . . you had every right to walk away and never look back. But you didn’t.”
“I love you, Bryn. That’s all there is to it.”
She ran her free hand through his hair, those gorgeous blue eyes staring back at her, filled with more love than she could’ve ever hoped to find again. “I love you, too. I hope you know that. And it’s not just because of last night. I’ve been wanting to tell you. I just couldn’t get the words out and—”
He stopped her ramble with his lips, then pulled her on top of him. Bryn wrapped her arms around his head, fingertips in his hair, kissing him with all the passion he deserved. And he deserved so much. He deserved all of her. And she was sure as hell going to give it to him.
Bryn left his lips and traveled south, kissing over mounded pectorals. She wanted a taste of him. But as she got to that beautiful piece of manhood, already hard for her, he stopped her, pulling her up and then pushing her flat against the bed.
Mischief danced in his eyes. “Uh-uh. Not yet.” And then he headed south beneath the sheets.
Eli pushed her knees apart, nest
ling in between her thighs. His tongue lapped at her. Oh no. Was this going to be the same as before? But then he sucked her clit into his mouth and flicked it with his tongue.
Bryn gripped his shoulders, telling herself not to dig her nails into his skin. And also not to make too much noise, the major drawback of having sex with children in the house. But wait! There were no kids in the house. She and Eli were alone! She could make as much noise as she wanted. The freedom was exhilarating.
And then Eli slid two fingers inside her, curling them, rubbing the supersensitive skin that sat so deep inside her. She gasped, grabbing at the sheet and squeezing tight.
He laughed, a low sexy sound. “You like that, baby?”
“Yes, sir,” she breathed out, unable to mumble anything more, wanting to demand he put that tongue back where it was.
And of course he did, sucking her clit back into his mouth, making little circles around it with his tongue. Mmm. So. Damn. Good. And the fingers were still working their magic. He must have gotten some new moves from somewhere or someone. And she’d have to thank that person when this was all over with. She didn’t know if she’d been eaten out better than this in her life.
The sensations built, every cell of her body buzzing with anticipation. She was so close. Any second she’d explode, euphoria surging through her body. She gripped his muscled shoulders, ready for the pleasure she’d be experiencing any second.
“You taste so good.”
“Don’t stop,” she said, the words tumbling out against her will.
He just laughed and dove back in. And all it took was his tongue connecting with her once more. Yes! Yes! Yes! Bryn let herself moan out, loud, as her hands uncontrollably pressed his head to her pelvis.
Chest heaving, Bryn lay there recovering from intense pleasure as Eli crawled up to her. He nuzzled her neck and kissed her.
After catching her breath, she spoke. “I’m sorry I kinda humped your face there for a minute.”
“It’s okay. I loved how hard you came. Means I finally figured out how to do this right.”
“Holy shit, you sure did.” They kissed for a minute, sensual pecks and playful nips, but Bryn was anxious to put her lips somewhere else. She pulled away. “Now it’s your turn.”
AFTER SPENDING the entire morning in bed, two orgasms each, and a very steamy shower, Bryn and Eli got dressed and drove to her parents’ house to pick up the kids. They held hands as they walked up the front steps toward the screen door. She just wanted to hold him and touch him, never spending a moment without him again.
“Well, don’t you two look chipper?”
Bryn’s mother was on the porch. She hadn’t even noticed. And she was damn chipper herself. It had been a long time since her mother had sounded that way in her presence.
“How was the show?”
Bryn looked at Eli. They had such a connection that he knew what she was thinking in just those two seconds. No one needed to know what had happened the night before. “It was good. How were the kids?”
“Good, as always.” She closed the magazine on her lap and looked back up at her. “Do you mind sitting for a minute? Both of you.”
Oh no. Was she going to lecture Bryn—again—about how inappropriate she’d been behaving, how awful a person she is for dating? If it weren’t for the pleasant smile on her mother’s face, Bryn would have snatched the kids and left.
“Yeah. Sure.”
“Well, I guess I should start out by telling you I was wrong.”
Bryn stared at her mother in disbelief.
“I was very hard on you. I felt I had to be. I didn’t want you to make a mistake that was going to harm the kids, or you. I know it didn’t seem like I cared about you, but I really did. I don’t think you understand how difficult it is to watch your child go through something so horrific and not be able to help or make it better. There was no magic bandage to fix any of what happened. You may be a grown woman, but you will always be my child.”
If there was anything she could agree on, it was that. Bryn would always treat her children as such.
She continued. “I should have trusted you and trusted you were doing what was best for you and the children. But I finally saw it Friday night. Eli is what’s best for you.”
“What do you mean?” Bryn asked, Eli squeezing her hand.
Her mother looked at him. “They way you acted . . . it showed me just how much you care for Bryn and the kids. You came with her in the middle of the night. You stood by her side when Cammie was hysterical.”
Bryn tried to keep her eyes dry, but it just wasn’t going to happen. Her mom turned her attention back to her. “For so long I watched you comfort those children when they needed it. It was so nice to see you have some support. You don’t have to do it all alone anymore.”
“No, ma’am, she doesn’t,” Eli said. “I love Bryn, and I love the kids.”
“I can tell you do. That’s very important to me. I want to see you all happy.”
Was this seriously happening? Had her mother really just accepted Eli and his place in her life?
“I want that, too.” He squeezed Bryn’s hand again.
“Thank you,” Bryn said, and let go of Eli to hug her mother. Her tears streamed down, no care about controlling them.
“Mommy! Eli!” Cammie ran out onto the porch letting the screen door slam. She jumped onto Eli’s lap and hugged him, then bounced into Bryn’s arms. “Are we gonna spend the day with Eli and Austin and Amelia?”
Bryn pulled her little girl close, looking over her shoulder at the man she loved, a love she never thought she’d find again. So many nights she’d wondered if she’d spend the rest of them alone and cold with no one to hold her. No one to help her and support her through life and parenthood. At one point her life had been mapped out and perfect, but as she’d quickly learned, the cruel part about life was that it could change in the blink of an eye and destroy every plan she’d had.
But slowly, Bryn learned to breathe again, to live again. Eventually love again. And yes, she was making plans again, too. She saw her life with Eli and all their kids, one crazy Brady Bunch of a life. And she was so ready for all of it.
She pulled back and looked at Cammie. “Yes, honey. We are. We’ll be spending a whole lot of time with them.”
CHAPTER
Thirty-five
THE KIDS ran ahead of Bryn and Eli, weaving in and out of the water as it crashed at the shore. Their laughter drifted on the breeze and she smiled as Austin let Cammie hop on his back and give her a piggyback ride across the wet sand. They already acted like brothers and sisters. Eli squeezed Bryn’s hand and she looked to him, feeling more peaceful than she had in years.
Mid-August in Florida was pretty hot, but the cool wind off the Gulf made it bearable. The trip had been exactly what she needed—what they all needed—and she couldn’t think of a better way to end this amazing summer. The last few weeks had been pretty hectic, with Eli moving in and the kids adjusting to being one big blended family. But even when they were arguing over who got to pick which video game to play next, they were loving every minute.
“My parents mentioned something about taking the kids out to dinner tonight and maybe to the park,” Eli said, his smile wide, an eyebrow cocked. “We’ll have the house to ourselves.”
That sounded heavenly. Vacation sex was always the best. As if their sex life could even get any better. After all the insecurity and inexperience, Eli had turned out to be dynamite in bed, never failing to keep up with Bryn’s libido. The short cock with bad oral technique had sure come a long way.
And she’d even tossed her toy collection. Well, most of them. She kept one of the mini vibrators for couples play.
“Sounds fabulous to me,” Bryn said, thinking of the lingerie she’d brought for just this kind of opportunity.
They continued their walk down
to the beach, happening upon a bride and groom and their wedding party, posing for photos.
“Mommy,” Cammie said, and dropped from Austin’s back, running over. “Look at that flower girl. Her dress is sooo pretty! Will I ever get to be a flower girl?”
Bryn met Eli’s gaze, neither of them able to hide their giddy smiles.
“Yes, honey. You will.”
Penny, a lingerie shop marketing director, is ready to get back in the dating game after divorcing her cheating ex-husband. Will she finally find her one and only this time around?
Keep reading for a sneak peek at the third installment in the Classy ‘n’ Sassy series from Stephanie Haefner
One Size Fits All
Coming Summer 2016 from Pocket Star!
CHAPTER One
Penelope Woodley flipped through the stack of bills sitting on her new little kitchen table in her new little apartment in downtown Newford. It was the first time in her life she’d had to actually pay her own bills, and it was a bigger pain in the ass than she expected.
“Looks like we’re going to have to cut back on the doggie jerky,” she said to Scarlett, her miniature pinscher, who jumped up at her leg with a barking argument. Jack had never let her bring her furbaby to their house, so the eight-pound canine spent the last five years in plush accommodations at Penny’s parents’ house.
Adding up the balance of her utility bills, then comparing it to the balance in her checking account, made Penny wonder if the vibrator shopping spree she’d gone on had been a good idea. But as a newly single girl whose emotions flipped from furious and homicidal to depressed and weepy on an hourly basis, she needed a way to blow off steam and relax. And since she had no dating prospects, she had to find an orgasm somehow.
Jack, her soon-to-be ex and the pile of shit who’d cheated on her and got his new “soul mate” pregnant, had always been in charge of the money and bills. When they’d gotten married, she’d gone from the safety and care of her parents’ home to his, never learning how to be on her own. And until two months ago, she never thought she’d have to be on her own. But here she was, twenty-eight and living in her own apartment for the first time in her life.
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