by Claire Adams
We continued with the auction until we reached the final candidate. I glanced back at the silhouette standing in the shadows at the edge of the stage. Something about the figure commanded my attention, although I couldn't quite place what it was. I didn’t have time to try to decide what it was. Stacy called out his name and I flipped the page to read his bio to the audience.
“And the final bachelor of the evening is Ricardo Daniels. Come on out, Ricardo!”
The man walked out into the spotlight and my heart almost stopped. It seemed Ricardo Daniels was the alter ego of Emerson Reed.
Taking in the sight of Emerson looking absolutely gorgeous in a dark gray suit and coordinating tie, was almost more than I could recover from. My stare stalled on his slicked back hair and square jaw, rough with stubble. He held a picnic basket and big bouquet of flowers. That wasn’t all that unusual for the evening, but the ribbon around them with my name printed across it was.
I put down the program and began to speak from my heart instead. “Ricardo, otherwise known as Emerson, is twenty years old. This bachelor is extremely intelligent, generous, sweet, and hard-working. He has a heart of gold. He loves riding motorcycles and has a passion for science, physics, and chemistry. To top all of that off, he’s a big Game of Thrones fan. And, as perfect as he looks, sometimes he makes mistakes—like all of us do because we're only human. In my opinion, ladies, our last bachelor is the catch of the evening. We're going to start the bidding at $100.”
A girl in the audience immediately put up her hand.
“Can you take over?” I whispered to Stacy.
She looked surprised but nodded and took the mic from me. “We have $150 down there,” Stacy announced. “Now, do we have $160?”
Another girl raised her hand. Meanwhile, I rushed off stage, grabbed a paddle left laying on a table, and took an empty seat at the back.
“Do we have $170?” asked Stacy.
Yet another girl raised her hand.
“$180?”
Another hand went up.
Emerson saw me at the back and our eyes locked, and an intense expression passed between us. Heat rushed through me. I raised my hand.
“$350!” I shouted.
It was the largest bid of the evening and everyone fell silent. Stacy stared at me from the stage.
“Are you sure? $350?”
“Absolutely!” I replied.
“Okay. Going once, going twice. Sold for $350 to Brooke Baker!” she shouted. “And, with that, tonight's bachelor evening is over!”
Everyone stood and began talking and shuffling out of their seats. I made a beeline straight for the stage where Emerson was waiting for me.
“Thank you,” he whispered hoarsely. “I’m pretty sure someone’s grandma was eyeing me from the front row.”
I smiled. “My pleasure. But it’s going to cost ya. You want to get out of here?” I asked. “Right now. Just you and me.”
“More than you’ll ever know,” he responded.
***
By the time we got to his new place—only five minutes away—all I wanted was to rip his clothes off and have at him. But Emerson had other plans.
“Stay put,” he insisted, turning his truck off. He quickly grabbed the picnic basket from the extended cab behind his seat and rushed around to open my door for me, holding his hand out to help me out of the truck. At only five-feet four-inches, I actually slid out of the seat more than stepped out. A huge grin spread across his five o’clock shadow as my stilettos hit the pavement.
“What are you grinning at? I’m vertically challenged. I can’t help it.”
“I’m grinning because you’re here. And because you are stunning,” his grin softened into a sincere regard. “And because you have my heart, Brooke Baker.” He sat the picnic basket on the back of the truck and stepped closer to me. His hands cradled the sides of my face. My pulse quickened at the close proximity of his body to mine. The intensity in our connected gazes went off the charts. When he spoke again, there was an undeniable honesty in his voice. “This ridiculous smile on my face is there because I love you, Brooke.”
He didn’t even give me a chance to respond. His lips descended on mine and the heat rose between us. Emerson had kissed me before, and it had been passionate and tender. But this kiss… this kiss was more than that. This kiss quaked in places that I never knew existed. And in that moment, I realized why I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Emerson even in those times when I was convinced he was a scumbag player—I loved him. I’d been denying it because I didn’t want to love someone who was going to hurt me again. But even in the moments I thought I hated him, those feelings were still more real than anything I had ever felt for Andrew.
When our lips parted, our eyes met again. He stroked a strand of my hair from my cheek and smiled down at me. “Brooke, I’m sorry I ever gave you any reason to doubt me. I will never allow that to happen again. You will always know how important you are to me, how honestly and truly I love you.” He searched my eyes as if he were trying to read my mind to know that his words had sunk into my heart—into my soul. They had.
“Make love to me, Emerson,” I whispered.
His lips crooked up one side of his sexy mouth. “What about the picnic?”
“We’ll need the nourishment when we’re done,” I smirked.
He kissed me again, grabbed the picnic basket with one hand and my hand with the other, then pulled me as quickly as my stilettos would allow to his apartment. The moment we were inside, he dropped the basket, pushed me against a wall, and began another of those long, languid, passionate kisses. Slowly, we started undressing each other. My heart was hammering, my breath coming in short, quick gasps. I wanted him badly, and he wanted me with an almost wolf-like hunger.
By the time we reached his bedroom, he was already shirtless. He'd discarded his shirt, jacket, and tie somewhere along the way as we'd kissed and pawed at each other. With fumbling hands, he opened the bedroom door and we stumbled in, almost tripping over each other as we continued with a passionate intensity.
“Unzip my dress,” I gasped. “Hurry.”
He unzipped my dress and slowly pushed his hands beneath the fabric to slide it from my shoulders and glide it the rest of the way down every curve of my body, leaving me standing in the naked light streaming from the hall in only my bra, panties, and stilettos.
I tugged my bottom lips between my teeth and turned to face him as he sat on the edge of the bed.
“God you are beautiful,” he breathed.
He began kissing my neck, moving his hands tenderly up and down my sides and my back, caressing me with gentle, yet eager, touches.
As he did, I ran the fingers of my left hand through his hair, slowly but surely easing his head down, directing it lower and lower. With my right, I unbuttoned his pants and reached inside, wrapping my fingers around the substantial girth of his hardening cock, and then slowly began moving my hand up and down along its length.
His caresses were moving down my body, and soon he slipped his fingers into the waistband of my panties and pulled them down with a firm, but gentle tug. They dropped to my ankles, and I stepped out of them.
Now he was kissing me around my lower belly, on my hips and thighs, while running his hands up and down my legs. I knew where his head was aiming to reach, and I parted my legs to accommodate him, but remained standing, running both of my hands now through his thick, luscious hair as he started to kiss me at the meeting of my thighs.
I was ready—very ready. He slipped a finger inside me, just to tease. I gasped and shuddered involuntarily and he chuckled as he slid it back out.
My knees went weak as a wave of pleasure moved through me.
“Not yet,” he whispered as he leaned in, moving his face between my legs.
He started teasing me with his tongue—gentle licks and ever so slight touches. I could feel my inner thighs becoming slick. Emerson started kissing me, using his lips in an alternately gentle and then mo
re forceful manner. My nerve endings were all tingling, and I really was starting to question whether I'd be able to maintain my balance for much longer.
Then he started licking, with the tip of his tongue, on my clit. He used just enough pressure to send wave after wave of pleasure rippling through my body, and he kept the strokes of his tongue rhythmic and the pressure consistent.
The first pulsing of an orgasm began to build within me as he kept going.
“Don't stop, Emerson,” I managed to gasp. “Please, for the love of God, don't—”
He kept his pace steady and the orgasm started to grow within me, building like a balloon inflated with too much air until, in a release from this glorious pressure, it finally exploded, shooting hot shrapnel shards of pure pleasure through my entire nervous system.
I cried out as the waves of joy boosted through my veins and gripped Emerson's hair with more force than I probably should have. I pushed his head away from me, my body shivering and trembling from the force of the orgasm. He tried to move back in, but I stopped him.
“Wait,” I managed to gasp. “Not yet. It's… it’s… I can’t take anymore right now.” I fell onto the edge of the bed beside him and regained my breath. With a mischievous sideways glance, I smiled at him. “My turn. Or should I say, your turn.”
I instructed him to stand and face me, running my hands lightly over his beautifully-sculpted body as I did. The smooth, solid hardness of his muscles made me even wetter than I already was.
When my hands reached his pants, I yanked them down, and his hard, throbbing cock emerged. I opened my mouth and guided it in slowly. His knees buckled a little with pleasure as I started to gently stroke the underside with my tongue. He started to run his fingers through my hair as I licked and teased, stroking the shaft with my hands as I did.
When I increased the momentum, moving my head back and forth, he moaned and gasped, and his fingers gripped my hair in tight handfuls. He took over, moving my head back and forth at an ever-increasing pace.
“Oh my God, Brooke,” he moaned.
He slowed the movements and eased his cock out of my mouth, and dropped down to his knees before me and kissed me slowly and deeply, moving his tongue around my mouth with gentle pressure. Then he slipped his fingers through mine and pushed me back onto his bed, positioning himself over me.
“I need to be as close to you as possible,” he whispered as he trailed hot kisses down my shoulder and pressed his body against mine. The solidity of his excitement pushed against the moistness between my legs. In one slow stroke, we connected. When he had filled me completely, he began to thrust unhurriedly. Each thrust sent a shock of pleasure through me. His smooth muscles slid against my stomach and he gazed down at me. All I could see was the blue of his eyes. All I could feel was the heat of him moving within me and his body grinding against my clit. All of my apprehensions disappeared, and for the first time in my life, I knew what freedom felt like.
I slid my hands over his back and felt his muscles move under my fingertips. I bit my lip to avoid moaning, but he covered my lips with his and the moan slipped into his mouth. I held onto him tighter, wanting him closer to me than he ever could be. Tension built in my body. Every nerve was on fire. For a moment, the world seemed to stop.
Pleasure exploded inside me, blazing through my body as Emerson released his own ecstasy. He took a few deep, sharp breaths as I trembled around him. After a couple of minutes had passed, I was still lost within my euphoria. He rolled over beside me, wrapped his strong, muscular arms around me, and pulled me close to him.
“That was amazing,” he whispered.
“It was,” I replied.
“And do you know what the best thing about it was?”
“What's that?” I replied.
“That was just the warm-up round.”
I giggled as he moved in, kissing me again.
It was going to be a long night.
A long and glorious night.
EPILOGUE
Brooke
I looked up from my book and eased my feet off the footstool, listening as the sound grew in volume. Tossing my book onto the couch beside me, I hurried to the front door just in time to watch Emerson pull into the driveway and slip his slick Kawasaki past my BMW and park it in the garage. He removed his helmet and saw me standing in the doorway. A huge smile spread across his handsome face.
He hurried toward the door I held open for him and wrapped me tightly in his arms the moment he bound up the porch steps. A long, languid kiss got my nerves tingling and made my knees weak. Even after so many years, he still had that effect on me.
“How was work, love?” I asked.
“Good. We're making progress on the solar power compound. I'm pretty sure this product is gonna be on the market within two years, and it's gonna revolutionize everything! A solar panel powerful enough to charge a laptop in three hours, and it's only the size of a dollar bill. How cool is that?” Emerson beamed. “How about you, beautiful? How was your day?” He planted a sweet kiss on my forehead.
“Actually, work was interesting. Remember that new bicycle concept I was telling you about?”
“Oh yeah, the one that charges all of your devices at home while you ride?”
“Yes! Well, we're very close to making a breakthrough,” I said. “Like, literally right on the edge.”
“That’s awesome, babe. I can’t wait until you get to bring it home for us to try out,” he smiled.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You just want to play with my gadgets,” I flashed him a smirky grin.
“Oh, I definitely want to do that,” he said with a wink. “Oh. Almost forgot. I got a call from Chris today.”
“Oh, yeah? How's he doing?”
“He's good. Still sober. That makes eight months. And he's starting his first semester of a new college degree.”
“I’m glad to hear that. He was stuck in a real rough patch for a few years after dropping out. I know you’re happy to see him like this.”
“Yeah. I was beginning to think he wasn't gonna get through it. I'm glad he's turned his life around and proved me wrong. It’s nice to hear my old friend’s voice when I talk to him now.”
“Speaking of old friends,” I added. “Don’t forget we've got an appointment in front of the TV at eight tonight!”
“Oh yeah, Leslie's big break! I'm super excited to see it.”
“She always did want a role in a sitcom, and I think she's gonna be great!”
“Old friends,” he said with a smile, “it's great to see them doing well.”
“It really is,” I agreed.
“But then, we can't just focus on the old. There's also the new…” He took my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the diamond engagement ring on my finger.
“I'm counting the days until you are my wife. You can’t get rid of me then and I can’t wait!”
Tears stung the corners of my eyes. I kissed him gently on his forehead, and then on his lips. “I can't wait, either,” I said.
“How about we crack open a bottle of wine, light some candles, and watch the sunset from the back deck?”
“That sounds like a splendid idea. We'd better hurry though, the sun will be setting in a few minutes.”
“Right. Meet you out there.”
Emerson headed to the cellar to pick out a decent bottle of wine while I went out onto the deck. The air was still warm, with just the slightest nip of cold threatening to take over once the sun disappeared. Spring had always been my favorite season. The scent of new blossoms and flowers floated sweetly on the warm breeze, and the first evening star had appeared in the darkening sky.
Emerson strolled onto the deck carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses. We took a seat on our outdoor sofa and he filled up a glass for each of us as I lit some candles. I took my glass and clinked it against his.
“To chemistry,” I said with a smile.
“To chemistry,” he replied, the last golden rays of the day's sun glinting in
his eyes.
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GRIND
BOX SET
By Claire Adams
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 Claire Adams
PART ONE
Chapter One
Distraction
Mia
Abs and I elbow our way to the front of the crowd. The competition is about to start, and I’m not about to let my neophyte friend go without a decent view of what’s about to happen.
The announcer comes over the loudspeaker and introduces the first brave soul. I squeeze Abby’s arm and she turns to face me.
“That’s him,” I tell her.
“I really don’t think this is my cup of…” she trails off as Mike Onomato skates into view.
“Yeah, I thought you’d change your mind when you actually saw him,” I tell her.
Mike Onomato. In the world of skateboarding, the distinction between pro and amateur can be arbitrary or fixed entirely. There are no weekly broadcasts of competitions, at least not on any channel that’s going to show up in a normal digital cable or satellite package.
Sometimes, a skater can go straight from photo shoots and video games back to their neighborhood skate park, never to return to the limelight again. Mike Onomato, though, he’s right on the verge of being the next Burnquist or the next P-Rod.
It goes without saying that he’d never be the next Rodney Mullen. Nobody will ever be Rodney Mullen. That guy’s an alien. Seriously, he invented most of the tricks these guys are going to do in the competition today. In fact, if it weren’t for Rodney Mullen, there probably wouldn’t even be street events.
