by J. H. Croix
My mind spun back to another conversation with him last night. He’d made a passing comment that he wasn’t so sure we should do Christmas at their family’s home. I’d recalled Thea’s concern, which I shared, about how heavily their father’s actions had weighed on him.
“Dallas, it’s the best place for Christmas,” I’d said.
He’d started to roll his eyes, but I’d caught his hand in mine across the table. “Instead of letting him ruin everything you had, take it back. Thea wants to do this, so let her and enjoy it.”
He’d looked doubtful, but the tension had eased from his features. I was hoping today might show him it would feel better for them to enjoy Christmas here again.
I followed the sound of voices. Once I stepped into the kitchen, my mother spun around from where she was standing by the island in the center of the room. This was a lovely old kitchen with tall ceilings, windows that let light splash in from the outside, and cabinets lining the walls with a massive island in the middle.
“Audrey!” my mother exclaimed as she hurried over, unloading the basket from my arms. I had made cheese rolls, along with a pumpkin pie and an apple cherry pie. My mother, Sarah, pulled me tight for a hug.
“Hey Mom, I’m so glad you and Dad could drive up today.”
Her silvery hair was wound into an elegant knot atop her head with loose tendrils hanging around her face. Her brown eyes crinkled at the corners with her smile. She tended to dress in rich colors, and today was no exception. She had on black slacks with a wine red sweater. When she stepped back, she angled her head to the side.
“So, Dallas?” she asked.
I felt my cheeks heat. “Not now, Mom. Okay?”
She laughed softly and leaned over to drop another kiss on my cheek. “It's okay. I think it's perfect. He called your father last night.”
Dallas had told me he wanted to call my father because he didn't want to hide anything. I had felt a bit strange about it, but he insisted he wouldn’t feel right not having everything out in the open. My father came meandering over and pulled me into a quick hug.
“Hi, dear,” he said gruffly. “Very good to see you. Before you ask, the drive was uneventful. The snow stopped early this morning in Massachusetts.”
My mother nudged him as Dallas walked into the kitchen from the back door. Dallas’ cheeks were ruddy from the cold. One look at him sent my pulse lunging and heat rolling through me. My body had no regard for where we were.
My heart squeezed in my chest. It was hard to believe yesterday I’d woken up still wrestling with how much I missed him and yet determined to accept it and move on. In the span of twenty-four hours, joy and a sense of peace had fallen over me. His eyes caught mine from across the room as he shrugged out of his jacket. Noah and Ian were right behind him. All of the Tate siblings shared almost black hair. Thea and Dallas shared bright blue eyes, while Noah had dark brown eyes, and Ian had piercing green eyes.
I tried to recall the last time I'd seen them all together. It had been years since the last holiday season before their father went to jail. I recalled Dallas had seemed out of sorts then. I realized now, he’d probably been deep into the financial investigation and might've already known of his father's involvement. It was heartwarming to see them all together once again.
Noah glanced my way, flashing a grin, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Hey Audrey. Long time no see.”
I stepped to his side, and he pulled me into a quick hug with Ian right behind him. It was strangely familiar to be here. Our families had spent many holiday gatherings together. The early afternoon passed quickly as we bustled around the kitchen. By some miracle, Noah had finagled a television and the guys were watching football. We were all scattered around the living room. We’d eschewed a formal meal at the dining room table.
I was in the middle of a conversation with Thea and my mother when Dallas slipped onto the love seat beside me, his arm sliding across my shoulders. A sense of comfort rolled through me, and I glanced up. His bright blue gaze locked with mine. Sweet hell. It was ridiculous the effect he had on me. It didn't matter that his family and mine surrounded us. I would be perfectly content to find somewhere to sneak away.
My mother laughed, and we both looked in her direction. She smiled softly.
“It's nice to see you two together. A while back, I wondered,” she commented.
“Wondered what?” Thea asked.
My mother lifted her shoulder and a shrug. “Oh, I saw the way they used to look at each other. I figured perhaps for Audrey it was nothing more than a crush, but I didn't know. I always thought you two would make a good match,” she said with a satisfied smile before taking a sip of wine.
The afternoon rolled into evening with plenty of food and wine. At some point as darkness swept in and the stars glittered over the ocean, I was in the kitchen washing up. I felt Dallas come up behind me, his arms sliding down my shoulders to curl around my waist. I was elbow deep in soapy water and glanced up to the side.
“Yes?” I asked.
He dropped a kiss on the side of my neck, sending a hot shiver through me. Goose bumps prickled over my skin.
I glanced at him sideways, needing to ask something. “So are you glad Thea rounded you all up for Christmas here?”
His eyes held mine, a grin curling the corner of his mouth. “Yes. You were right. Happy?”
I laughed, my heart feeling full. “Yes, but not because I was right. Just because it’s a good thing for you.”
He chuckled, dipping his head again and dropping more kisses along the sensitive skin of my neck.
“I think we should sneak away,” he murmured.
“You've got to be kidding me,” I said with a laugh.
Not to be deterred, he spun me around. I splashed water and soap on his shirt.
He shook his head, his eyes dark. “Not kidding at all. This house is huge. Come on,” he murmured, dipping his head and dropping hot kisses along my collarbone. I couldn’t have said no if my life depended on it.
“Hang on,” I choked out. “Let me dry my hands.”
Between giggles and a few gasps, I quickly grabbed the dishtowel and dried my hands. I let him tug me upstairs. I knew this house well because I’d spent so much time here when I was younger. One room I'd only seen and never been in was his old bedroom. Next thing I knew, he was pulling me through that door, his eyes hot on me. He’d spent every step of the way here being naughty with his hands. I was flustered and hot and wet. We yanked at each other’s clothes after he kicked the door shut behind us. I moaned at the feel of his hot skin, his cock hard as steel in my palm. We tumbled onto the bed. The mattress was bare, but it was a bed.
He rolled atop me, lacing his fingers into mine and stretching my arms up over my head. The feel of his cock sliding against my wet folds sent a shudder through me.
“Dallas, don’t make me…”
“Wait,” he finished for me the second he filled me.
I cried out, the delicious stretch of his cock so good, I almost came instantly.
He didn’t make me wait, the sweet crash of my release coming swiftly as he pounded into me.
“Merry Christmas,” he murmured a few minutes later when he collapsed against me.
Epilogue
Dallas
I slid the key into the lock of our townhouse in Boston, opening the door quietly. It was much later than I wanted to be home. My work habits had changed drastically in the last year. In a week, Audrey and I would be driving up to Haven’s Bay to spend our first Christmas together since we'd gotten married. In the year since last Christmas, Audrey had spent a few months in New York City before finally moving to Boston. I’d hated every day we’d been apart, but we’d spent weekends together. She’d accepted a position here in Boston working for the Environmental Protection Agency. She’d insisted on waiting until she had a position she wanted before she moved. I’d offered to relocate, but she preferred Boston because we could easily drive to Maine on weekends.
>
It was only eight o'clock, but for me, this was late. Since she'd moved here, I tried to be home by six every evening.
“Audrey,” I called.
“In here,” she called back.
Just the sound of her voice made me happy. I toed off my shoes, shrugged off my jacket and walked into the kitchen. It smelled divine. I had no idea what she was making, but she’d spoiled me rotten with her cooking ever since she moved in. We’d married last summer in a simple ceremony. She hadn't wanted to plan an elaborate wedding, telling me she'd already had enough of that with her first engagement. Audrey’s parents, Thea, Noah and Ian had been our witnesses and then we had a dinner party the following day up in Haven’s Bay.
Audrey spun to face me. Her hair was up in a messy knot, tendrils framing her face, and her skin was flushed. She had flour all over her shirt. No matter how much she loved cooking, she never wore an apron, which I found endlessly amusing. I stepped to her side and tugged her close.
She giggled. “I'm getting flour all over you.”
“I don't care. Missed you today,” I murmured, dipping my head to kiss the side of her neck. I closed my eyes and breathed in the scent of her—honey with a hint of vanilla. I sighed at the feel of her soft body coming against mine. One small thing kept her a little further away. She was six months pregnant, and it showed.
“How are you feeling?” I asked sliding my hand over the curve of her belly.
“I feel fine every day. You worry too much,” she said with a low laugh.
She’d declared the other day she was putting a restriction on how often I could ask how she was feeling. I couldn't help it. I couldn’t have known I’d love her being pregnant so much. We didn't know whether it was a boy or girl and had agreed we’d wait to find out. We wanted the surprise. My heart clenched every time I looked at her. My life felt so full, I didn't quite know what to do with it sometimes. I absolutely adored her pregnant. With her full breasts and her round belly—I had no shame, I got hard just thinking about her. For example, right now. She glanced up when my hard cock bumped against her hip.
“You are too much. I'm finishing cooking before we do anything else,” she announced with a roll of her eyes as she pushed against me.
But I saw the heat flashing there.
“I don't think so,” I said, pulling her back and dropping kisses down along her neck. In short order, I dragged her down the hall into our bedroom. I was spooned behind her, buried deep inside her. I felt her shuddering, her channel clenching around me as my release poured into her. We laid there, my hand resting over the curve of her belly, cupping one of her breasts. I thought I could die happy right there. Except I wanted more—of her and everything that came with her.
***
Thank you for reading All I Want! I hope you enjoyed Dallas & Audrey’s story. Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter at http://jhcroixauthor.com/subscribe/ to get a free copy of another one of my books!
Please enjoy Burn For Me, available here for a limited time!
xoxo
JH Croix
Burn For Me
Into the Fire Series
By J.H. Croix
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 J.H. Croix
All rights reserved.
ISBN-10: 1546562656
ISBN-13: 978-1546562658
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Burn For Me
One alpha man.
One bossy woman.
A fire that won’t die.
I messed up.
Once upon a time, Amelia was my everything.
Until she wasn’t.
I’m home now, and I want her back.
She’s never forgiven me for something I didn’t even do.
I’ve never forgiven her for believing the worst.
One look and the years apart go up in smoke.
The minute I lay eyes on Amelia, I’m hard for her.
Again.
That smart mouth and curvy body is all I ever wanted.
This time, I’ll have her and she’ll have me.
Every inch of me.
This is my second chance. I won’t back down.
She’ll be mine. For good this time.
*This is a steamy, full-length standalone romance with a guaranteed happily-ever-after. No cliffhangers. Nothing but steamy romance & HEA!
Chapter 1
Amelia
I shoved through the door into the bar, coming to a quick stop as my eyes adjusted to the light. I brushed a wet lock of hair off of my cheek and threaded through the tables to the bar at the back. Once I slipped onto a stool, the bartender spun to face me. He was a jolly looking man with round blue eyes.
“I’m Tank. You look like you could use a drink,” he announced, his wide smile softening his observation.
“A beer will do,” I replied.
“House draft okay?” he asked.
At my nod, he spun around. Within seconds, he’d handed me my beer and silently offered a clean towel. Though it was tiny, seeing as it was a bar towel, I quickly scrubbed it over my dripping wet hair and face before handing it back to him. I settled in to try to forget my shitty day.
A bit later, I drained my beer and glanced around the bar, savoring the anonymity of being in a crowded bar in Anchorage, Alaska where no one knew me. I was tucked in the corner by the wall, pleased to have a nice view of the crowd and yet go unnoticed by just about everyone there. Tank caught my eyes again, a question held in them. I nodded and held my empty pint glass aloft. He nodded in return while he mixed a drink for someone and pulled another pint for me with his free hand. The extent of my conversation with anyone this evening had been limited to Tank’s earlier introduction.
If he thought anything awry with the fact I was wearing a wedding dress splashed with mud, he didn’t show it. Neither did anyone around me. Anchorage was just large enough of a city people left you alone if you appeared to want to be left as such. That said, people were friendly too. Alaska, despite its sprawling geography, kept its residents close, all bound by the knowledge they lived on the edge of the wild and had the strength and guts for such a life.
I took a drag on what was my third beer and wondered if perhaps I should slow down. I was definitely tipsy and on my way to drunk. I fingered the cream silk of my wedding dress. Or maybe I needed to consider it my not-wedding dress. I’d been all dressed and ready to go when I’d failed in my battle against the knot of tension balled like a vise around my heart. I swallowed against the rush of emotion that rose inside as my eyes traveled down the fitted bodice of my dress and bounced to the muddy splotches all over its swirling skirt. Oh yeah. I hadn’t simply ditched my groom-to-be just before we got to the altar, I’d bolted in the rain. Another swallow of beer, followed with a slow sigh. What stung the most—all I felt was relief. Not regret, not second thoughts. Just pure relief.
I’d walked across the hallway at the back of the church and barged into Earl’s dressing room. There he’d stood, tall and handsome with his dark blonde hair and brown eyes. It was what I never saw in his eyes when he looked at me that pushed me to tell him I couldn’t marry him. When Earl looked at me, I saw a kind regard, a humored attempt to appreciate me for who I was. Yet, there was never anything close to the hot fire I’d known once upon a time with someone else. I’d apologized, but I’d also been flat pissed with him for trying to trick himself and me into thinking he really loved me.
A dash into the late afternoon rain on a cool summer day in Alaska had felt cleansing. Until I got chilled and fina
lly ducked into this bar. I didn’t even know what it was called. I suddenly recalled I didn’t have a penny on me. It wasn’t like I’d been carrying a purse for my aborted walk up the aisle. Oh well, oh hell. I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror behind the bar and bit back a sigh. My amber hair was a damp, tangled mess.
I didn’t think much about how I looked. To be honest, it was more that I tried not to. I was as tall as most men. I ran my own construction business to boot. I tried to never let it show, but when it came to my femininity, seeds of doubt were planted firmly inside. It didn’t help that all but one man treated me pretty much like a man, Earl included.
I gave my head a hard shake and glanced around the bar again, scanning the collection of people. Businessmen rubbed elbows with fishermen here. Sports reigned supreme on the televisions screens mounted at various points in the bar, and a few pool tables were clustered in the corner. That’s what I’d do. I loved pool and was pretty damn good at it.
A few minutes later, I was paired up in a game with three other guys. They’d thrown a few looks askance at my wedding dress and seemed amused at playing with me. Tipsy and deep into my don’t give a damn mode, I set out to beat them.
Roughly an hour later, I grinned as my last ball rolled neatly into a pocket corner. “Well, boys,” I said, glancing among them.
The boys in question had been drinking and gotten steadily more sullen as we played. One of them, a hulking sort with dark eyes and hair, glared at me. They’d bet on this game after the first two, and I was due five dollars each from them.
