Pink Lilies (Beautiful People Book 1)

by Lacee Hightower

  I mouthed the word “breakfast” and he nodded as I turned and went back to the kitchen. Kids. Would Tyler ever want any of his own?

  * * * *

  “You sure make a mean egg white omelet for someone who hates them so much.” He drained the small glass of orange juice and wiped his mouth on a napkin.

  “The ham and gobs of pepper makes them edible.” I smiled, looking over at the clock on the oven.

  “Are you going somewhere, angel?” I frowned. I needed to go home. Mason was coming over today to play basketball. It was their time together. Still on the mend, he was talking more, and had finally agreed to try counseling again.

  “Alexa, what’s wrong?” Everything was suddenly off-target. I didn’t want to go home. I wanted to be right here, cooking his breakfast, washing his clothes—and everything in between.

  “I need to get home before Mason gets here.”

  His eyes filled with question, the tiny slit between them narrowing into a frown. He rubbed his hand over the stubble occupying his chin. “Home?” He swallowed. “Don’t you want to be here? Can’t this be your home, angel?” He reached out, taking my hand and pulling my chair toward his. “I was kind of thinking about you in the kitchen, dressed like this in my t-shirt, baking Mason and me a peach cobbler. Not you at your place. Us. Our place. Together.”

  “Yes.” I smiled. “I do want to be here. I just thought you might want some alone time with Mason.”

  He pulled me against his chest and kissed me. “About that peach cobbler. You know it’s another one of Mason’s favorites. And being that you’re so close to my little brother and all, I was just thinking…”

  He kissed the tip of my nose, his gaze searching my face. “I want you here, Alexa. Every day. My brother wants you here. My family loves you.”

  I rested my hands on Tyler’s cheeks. “I can do peach cobbler.”

  He brushed his fingers over my bare leg and slid his lips back over mine. Desire and need rushed my body just by the one simple touch. I reached for the back of his kitchen chair and pulled my legs across his. He groaned and took my mouth again, raising his body just enough to lower his sweat pants and briskly sweep my panties to the side, before sinking his glorious cock back inside me.

  The sound of a car door slammed and I jumped off Tyler’s lap. “Shit!” I laughed and ran toward the bedroom while Tyler raised his sweats over his perfectly alert penis. Still laughing as I climbed in the hot bath, I wondered how Tyler was going to pull this off with Mason.

  I leaned back against the edge of the tub filled with coconut-scented bubbles, relaxing with a thick towel behind my head. I still hadn’t quit my job at Bryson’s, even though Tyler kept insisting. What I really wanted to do was go to the University of North Texas and finish up my Masters, which Tyler thought was an excellent idea. But how? I’d done the math. I didn’t have enough money in savings, my parents certainly didn’t have it, and I cringed at the thought of a huge education loan that I’d never get paid off.

  Suddenly I felt emotional. Where did that come from? I never planned on being this age and still undecided on my future. I drew up my knees and leaned my head over. This was stupid! I could figure it out somehow. But then, I’d been telling myself that same story for over a year and still, here I sat, sobbing into my hands with uncertainty.

  The bedroom door opened. Tyler was coming in to get dressed. I quickly brushed an arm across my face to hide the tears. But he was there already, standing beside the bathtub.

  “Alexa? Angel?”

  A long finger swept underneath my eye.

  “Fuck, baby. What’s wrong?” His beautiful green eyes were wide with concern.

  I shook my head and reached for his hand, threading the long fingers that I loved through mine. He kneeled beside the tub.

  “Tyler, I’m getting you all wet.” I forced his chest away. “Nothing is wrong. Not really. And things are great. I’m just worried about a job. It’s nothing.” My eyes filled with tears again at his gentleness.

  “I’ll be right back. I bought you something yesterday. I was waiting for the right time to give it to you.” He winked and walked out of the bathroom, returning seconds later with something behind his back.

  “What? What do you have behind there?”

  “Just a little something I thought you might like.” He held out his hand with a t-shirt on top.

  “A UNT shirt?”

  He kneeled again and reached for my face. His thumb grazed the dimple on my cheek and then brushed across my mouth.

  “I thought you might want to wear this to school your first day. No more Bryson’s, angel. It’s time. Give your notice. I’ve taken care of your tuition. Your first semester starts after the holidays.”

  Tears streamed down my face.

  “Tyler, no. It’s too much. I can’t let you do that.”

  “Baby.” He took both my cheeks between his hands. “As I’ve told you before. Yes. You can and you will. I love you. Now come on. Let me help you get out of that water.”

  He helped me from the bathtub and reached for a towel, drying me off.

  “Bed. Now. Let’s finish what we started.” He lifted his shirt over his head and dropped it. The large lily tattoo on his hard chest made me smile, along with igniting my libido. Smoking hot, it only added to the all-male sexiness of his body. He winked as he lowered his sweats, his erection thick and hard against his stomach.

  “But Mason’s here.”

  “Lie back, Alexa. Let me worry about my brother. Unless you’d rather me walk around with a stiff dick all day.” His eyes grayed as he turned on his Dom face. I did as he demanded and he crawled up between my legs, pushing them apart as he inched between them. His mouth dropped on top of me as he eased a finger inside my heated slit.

  “Now let’s get back to you being nice and wet, angel. Wet is always best … every single time.”

  Epilogue

  Alex

  Tyler and I sat hand-in-hand around the patio table on the back porch while Mason threw the Frisbee to Bono. A Texas-style cold front had finally moved in, which meant one thing. It was still fifty-two degrees at the end of November. Still, I’d insisted Tyler light a fire in the outdoor fireplace. We had to take advantage of anything resembling cold weather here in North Texas.

  “Whatever are you thinking about, angel? Your face is glowing. Perhaps something to do with a place called Venture?” he whispered in my ear. “Rumor has it that a strong Dom may just have his way with his woman in a place like that.” I grinned as Tyler wiggled his eyes.

  Thanksgiving was tomorrow and we were all having dinner at Tyler’s mother’s house. Justin and Maci were coming, too. My first holiday to spend away from my own parents, they understood. Adam didn’t get his leave, so they opted for a trip to Colorado in lieu of a turkey dinner. With promises to make the holiday pies, my brain stirred at thoughts of what was inside the small blue box tucked away in the cabinet. I’d discovered it earlier when I’d hidden the apron that I planned on surprising Tyler with Thanksgiving Day, before asking him to help me bake pies.

  My parents weren’t crazy about the idea of me moving in with Tyler and thought it was a little premature, but I knew in my heart that we were stronger than ever and they would learn to love him, just as I had. Pretty confident I’d lost my battle to act out a scene at Venture, I understood that Tyler couldn’t take that kind of risk any longer. He’d sold his part of the club and his cosmetic surgery practice was booming, so it all made sense. But he promised to take me tonight, saying he had a surprise in store. I tried hiding my smile each time I speculated on what he had planned. Ironic that I was actually pretty persuasive where Tyler was concerned, chances were, I could probably pull it out of him if I tried hard enough. I wouldn’t though. I’d stick with the surprise, whatever it was.

  Maci and I didn’t spend much time together anymore. My biggest supporter from the very beginning with Tyler, she’d always be my best friend. She and her own mother were distant right no
w, their relationship still in the healing process after her father died from a long battle with cancer a year ago. Her mom quickly remarrying a high school boyfriend only weeks after her dad’s death had been hard on Maci. And though I didn’t see her often, I always made time to check in on her, just as she’d done when Tyler and I went through hard times. But she still had me. And for now, she had Justin. Tyler, Maci and Justin had all had their share of family issues. I couldn’t directly relate to what they’d been through, but I’d still be here for all of them until the end.

  Mason was doing better than ever. Life would never be easy for him and there would always be challenges, but he was going to make it. That felt good. Tyler was a new person now that his little brother was coming around. I knew the pain and guilt still haunted him, and he didn’t like talking about it. He insisted it was best if he kept it all stored away in the farthest part of his brain. Someday I hoped he could be more open with me about that.

  “Fuck, does he ever get tired?” Mason sat down beside us as Bono stood in front of him, his never-ending wagging tail in full motion. Mason raised an Ozarka bottle, draining the entire contents in seconds. For a moment, Tyler was quiet, focusing on his dog as if he hadn’t heard his brother speak. Then his eyes connected with mine and then with Mason’s before he roared with happy laughter.

  Be still my beating heart…

  The End

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  BONUS SAMPLE EXCERPT

  Crimson Sunsets (Beautiful People, 2)

  Coming Soon

  Minutes later, we were walking through a crowded Central Market, Justin’s hand resting on the basket as he moved down the aisle casually, looking at assorted granolas, nuts, and all kinds of dried fruits and vegetables. His struggle to hide the smile behind his lips was obvious.

  Gloating asshole!

  “Dried apricots? Or peaches?” He reached for a plastic bag, his teasing eyes glowing with mischief as the ache in my abdomen worsened. He pushed the control.

  Oh, fuck!

  “Either,” I yelled, staying still while he leisurely ignored me by looking at dried fruit. Stalling and tormenting my insides. Playing with me.

  “Hmmm,” he whispered as his hand disappeared into his pocket, pushing another button on the control.

  “Baby, no,” he said a little too loudly, the look apparently crossing my face impossible to ignore.

  It was too late. The sensation set me off, sending me into a spiraling hard orgasm that I couldn’t stop even if England’s queen approached me. My hip pressed into the side of the metal grocery cart as I fought crying out while my knees tried buckling.

  Holy crap. I just had an orgasm in the middle of Central Market.

  “Sweet thing,” he whispered against my neck. “I told you not to come.”

  “Fuck you, Justin Wisely. I want these bastards out of me!”

  Arrogant jackass.

  I was mad. This was borderline cruel. I went in search of the ladies’ room. I wanted these damn things out of me right now.

  “Hartley.” He walked in behind me. A young mother and daughter were drying their hands, the mother’s eyes widening as Justin bolted in behind me like he owned the place.

  “Oh, don’t bother him,” I blurted out. “He looks all male, but he’s trans.”

  “Uhh. Okay.” The lady picked up the toddler girl in three seconds flat. I could have sworn her eyes dropped toward Justin’s crotch when I said that, the small grin on his face pissing me off even more.

  “Really, Justin? I thought the sign read ‘Ladies’.” I walked into a stall, thankful no one else seemed to be in here with us. I reached for my panties, his hand instantly snatching mine.

  “Hands against the wall.” He spun me around, my face looking into shiny white tile. He eased my panties to the side, slowly removing the balls and slipping them inside his pocket. The scraping of them against my sensitive skin made it impossible to hide the moan that eased between my lips. I couldn’t help it. I was turned on again. I detested these fucking things.

  His hand was underneath my panties, gently sliding a long finger inside me, circling and touching every inch of my inner walls the way he did with such perfection, moving in and out of me in slow delicious thrusts. He rubbed his bobbing erection across my butt, blowing long breaths against my ear and teasing the inside with his tongue.

  “Does this feel trans?” He urged his hard shaft against my back and went still.

  “Jesus,” I whispered, the same small familiar flutter easing up my belly with each plunge of his finger. I pushed back against him, my pulse racing way too fast. My God, we were in a public bathroom like a couple of desperate savage animals, but I couldn’t stop. I needed this.

  The sound of shoes clapping the hard tile was loud.

  “You’ll be quiet now, Hartley,” he whispered against my neck. His Dom voice was strong, the playfulness from earlier faded. “If there wasn’t someone only feet away from us, I’d redden your sweet ass for that little outburst.”