by Alexis Anne
He thought about it for a second. “Yes.”
“Okay then.”
He came around the kitchen counter and took my hand in his. “Please don’t be scared. We will be nothing like our parents.”
So much hope bubbled up inside me as I got lost in his loving gaze. “I know that. I do.”
“We can take the test whenever you’re ready.”
“You want to do it right now, don’t you?” I knew I wouldn’t be able to put this off any longer if I told him.
“Yes. Yes I do.” He pulled me toward the bedroom without another word. I waited while he found the box inside my luggage, opened it, and produced the white stick. “This part is up to you.”
We read the directions together then went into the bathroom.
“This is awkward. Look away.”
He rolled his eyes and walked two feet to lean up against the bathroom counter. “This is the best you get, babe.”
But by then I was done.
I set it on the counter and stared down at it, half expecting confetti to pop out of it like some sort of sadistic Jack in the Box. “Surprise! You’re pregnant!”
My hands shook so much Darcy took notice. He grabbed the stick and my hand, and drew me back into the bedroom. He set the stick on the nightstand and then stripped me naked.
“I’m going to distract you. Pregnant or not, we should have sex when we know for sure.”
“Good plan.” And because I was too nervous to do anything else, I watched as Darcy stripped naked, too.
“I think I should be on top for this,” he murmured. “You don’t look so good.”
But that wasn’t the problem. “I’m not afraid to have children with you,” I blurted out. “I’m just scared of another big change in my life so soon.” As in, absolutely terrified.
He slid his hand over my shoulder up my neck and into my hair. “I know. But babe? You and me? We’re solid. I have always, and will always, adore you. Even if we have three screaming ungrateful brats and haven’t slept in months, you’ll still be the woman whose smile makes me feel like I can conquer the world.”
An invisible weight lifted off of my shoulders because what he said was true. Nothing could possibly change the bond we’d spent years cultivating. “You’ll always be the man who saw who I could be. I’m grateful for that, you know.”
“I know.”
And then I was falling onto the bed with Darcy on top of me. “So we’re good? You want my baby growing inside you, one way or another?”
How could I not? With a father like Darcy our child was sure to be a charmer. I kissed him slow and deep. “Yes.” Then I rocked my hips to take him inside me.
He sucked in a breath, just like he always did when our bodies first made contact. “I love you, Nik. Always. No matter what.”
“We wouldn’t have made it this far otherwise,” I laughed, then gasped as he slid home. “You ready for this?”
With an assuring nod he reached for the stick on the nightstand and held it up so we could both see the result.
PREGNANT
“And baby makes three,” Darcy purred, pride written all over his face. “Here’s to the future, Mrs. Higgins.”
I pulled him down for a spine-tingling kiss that made his cock twitch inside me. “To the future we built together.”
* * *
Coming Soon:
7 Dirty Lies
* * *
Lily Lawrence finds out that what happens in paradise doesn’t always stay in paradise.
And that’s a very tall, dark, and handsome lesson to learn.
* * *
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More from Alexis Anne
THE STORM INSIDE
Reflected in the Rain
When Lightning Strikes
Never Let Go
Tease
Tempt
Burn
Stripped
5 Dirty Sins
6 Dirty Secrets
* * *
The Storm Inside Box Set
The Tease Series Box Set (Books 1-4)
* * *
The Complete List of Alexis Anne Books
Acknowledgments
I never, ever thought I’d write this book. I tried for three years and it wasn’t happening. It was originally inspired by the Alex Clare song “Treading Water” and no matter how many ways I saw the story in my head it never translated correctly to the page. The last time I tried it magically became a book called Tempt and I decided that I was probably never going to write this story, so why not write it as the B-story? At least Nicki and Higgins got to the page.
But you guys asked for Nicki and Higgins story. And I said, “No!”
And then you guys asked some more. And I said, “No!”
And then one day inspiration struck.
So this book, in many ways, is because of all of you. Thank you. It was a really hard book to write but I’m glad it’s here.
I touch on a lot of very heavy topics in this book and I want you all to know that those topics were important to me. I wanted to bring a character to life who knew the damages of addiction, abuse, depression, and anxiety, and I wanted to see her grappling with all of that. I also wanted to show her living with it in good times and bad. Depression is a black hole filled with the lies we tell ourselves. I know this all too well.
If you live with any of this, know I am thinking of you. If you need help, please reach out to friends, a hotline, a support group, someone. You matter.
And in that vein I’d like to quietly thank my support group. You ladies know who you are and I hope you understand how much you’ve changed my life. I love you.
As I was writing Nicki I constantly had my friend Mychele in the back of my head. She’s a fabulous artist and I’ve had the pleasure of watching her blossom in her craft. Thank you Mychele for the inspiration!
Thanks to Violet Howe for being my local writing buddy and partner in crime. You make the business of writing a hundred percent more bearable!
As always, thank you to my writing crew: Julia Kelly, Mary Chris Escobar, Lindsay Emory, Laura Von Holt/Von Hottie, but especially Alexandra Haughton who suggested the characters of Jenni and Dominic. I seriously don’t know how I’d keep going in this business without The Coven #HBIC.
And finally, thanks to my men who inspire me to be a better woman and who constantly teach me what it looks like to be loved by strong, wonderful, supportive men!
* * *
xoxo,
Alexis
Welcome To The World Of Tease
When two protected hearts find safety and undeniable chemistry in a fling with a hard expiration date, sparks fly.
Tease
Welcome to Calhoun Beach, a sleepy beach town on the shores of South Carolina, filled with history…and secrets. Dr. Elizabeth Filler has carefully built a quiet life away from prying eyes. She doesn’t trust anyone and the last thing she’s looking for is love. Adam Callaway is Calhoun Beach’s prodigal son home for a two week vacation. He’s spent his life keeping his boundaries up and avoiding two family legacies…and he just might be the only person who can understand Elizabeth’s complicated past.
Start reading now: Tease
Tempt
When Elizabeth’s best friend Allison Riley heads to London in search of a leg up in her career, the last thing she expects is to stumble into the city’s most mysterious and eligible bachelor. Theo Sutherland has spent his life trying to make up for the sins of his past, but when the beautiful American dances into his arms and sees right past his walls, he is forced to decide whether he wants to continue paying for his mistakes, or finally find a way to move forward…and fall in love.
Start reading now: Tempt
Burn
Theo’s brother Michael ran away from the Sutherland family legacy and never looked back. Ava Hanson has spent her life building a secure career so that she never has to relive the chaos of her childhood, but when one n
ight of passion turns into two weeks with Michael in Calhoun Beach, he forces her to realize there is more to life: like love, passion, and family.
Start reading now: Burn
Stripped
Travis Brantley, Adam’s best friend, simply wants to make a living doing what he knows best: making music. When he’s sucked into opening for yet another “pop princess” he can’t help but wonder if she’s all makeup and costumes or if there is actually a singer underneath the electronic sound. Kristen Holt is tired of being used by the label. All she wants is to make real music and prove she has what it takes to succeed beyond her looks. When a challenge on stage is caught on camera, their fame skyrockets, and so does their undeniable chemistry.
Start reading now: Stripped
* * *
*Adam Callaway is Jake Spencer’s cousin. If you love the world of The Storm Inside, check out Tease!
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An Excerpt from The Storm Inside
Jake slammed my back into the wall of the shack, the boards of the wall bending and flexing from the impact. For a moment I worried we’d punch a hole right in the side of the building, but then Jake nipped my earlobe at the exact same moment he flexed his hips into mine, and I forgot everything I was thinking.
Everything but him.
I didn’t think about the ten years he’d been gone or how much I hated him. All I could feel was his hard body pressed up against mine, his rough hands as they desperately roamed over my skin, and the intensity in his kiss.
We’d always made an explosive combination—that clearly hadn’t changed. If anything, the added experience and time apart made what we’d had in the past look sweet and warm. Because this—what we were doing now— was off the charts insane. It was brutal and animalistic in the most fantastic way.
The afternoon thunderstorm was howling outside. It was my favorite time of day, and Jake knew it. The thing about Florida’s summertime storms was that you could feel them. When lightning strikes, the air crackles with electricity moving through everything around you. The moment it splits the sky, thunder vibrates so deeply it shakes the earth and every molecule in your body. You feel it everywhere.
Thunderstorms are a full body experience from the light and the vibrations, to the sound of the wind, the pounding of the rain, and the taste of the humidity in the air.
It’s like Mother Nature is trying to sweep you away in a symphony of senses. And at the moment I was swept away by both the storm and by Jake. I was completely lost to everything.
It had always been like this with us. Ten years hadn’t dulled it at all. If anything, the waiting only made it more intense than ever.
His hand closed around my jaw, turning my head away so that he could nuzzle my neck. As his tongue stroked upward along my skin, the muscles in my belly clenched and I squeezed my legs around him tighter.
“Oh god, Eve...” he moaned, pinning my hands to the wall and looking up at me with fire in his eyes as he continued to rock against me. The intensity with which he wanted me only made me crave him more. I ground back against his firm waist even harder.
Words seemed to ruin everything between us, so I wasn’t about to start talking now. I just panted, throwing my head back, and pushing against him with my hips to let him know I wanted to continue. There was no doubt in my mind how wet I was, my body was practically begging to have Jake back inside me.
Taking my cue, he released my wrists and slowly, silently, began to undress me, not that it took much. My bikini was held on by four sets of strings.
His eyes hungrily roamed over my naked breasts with a passion that made me shiver with hot desire.
Thunder rattled the roof as Jake stepped back, pulling me toward him with his hand knotted in my hair. The tug on my hair follicles hurt in the most fantastic way. He crushed his lips against mine and I would have cried out in pain if it hadn’t felt so good.
The one thing that kept running through my head, the one thing I couldn’t ignore any longer, was how badly I wanted this man. Every inch of me wanted to possess him. I felt like a tigress stalking her prey. Jake was mine and no one else’s. Always had been, always would be.
The shack was dank and old: there wasn’t a surface in the place that seemed clean or inviting, let alone suitable for our naked bodies.
Jake’s towel was flung over the back of a folding chair and with a quick flip of his wrist, the towel now covered the seat. I let him pull me onto his lap, my toes just barely reaching the floor on either side of him. His warm and sweaty skin against mine was electric and I gasped. I needed him inside me, now.
With one hand on his shoulder and my toes on the ground, I reached down, grasping the full warmth of his cock in my palm, and guided it right inside of my warm, wet, and throbbing body.
Jake gasped at my touch and I sunk my nails into his shoulder as a thousand sensations overwhelmed me, taking my breath away.
And that was just the first inch.
Jake was grinning at me through his own haze of pleasure. Cocky bastard. He was always so damn proud of his dick. But he had every right to be. It was long and thick, pink and perfect. Just the right size, really. Any bigger and it just wouldn’t have been fun, but too much smaller...Well, where was the fun in that?
His hands grasped my hips, taking control. I may have been the body on top, but Jake was in command, not just coaxing me upward, but actually lifting me with his strong arms, until he was just barely still inside me.
That’s when he started to tease me with very quick, short strokes. In and out. Each one making me gasp with pleasure, until he suddenly thrust upward, burying most of himself deep inside. I shuddered and moaned, realizing I could be as loud as I wanted, no one was anywhere near the shack on the water. We were as alone as two people could possibly be.
The air sizzled around us as another bolt of lightning struck incredibly close. I sank as far down onto Jake as I could, pushing hard until I was sure we were locked together. The way we should have always been.
He closed his eyes and let out a hiss, “Oh fuck I’m so deep inside you.” Then he buried his face in my shoulder, holding me tight against his body.
I began to rock. Just small movements at first as I got used to him. But then his warm mouth closed over my nipple and all hell broke loose.
I cried out as much with shock and pain as I did for pleasure. And when he used his teeth to gently tug, I cried out again. I went from being wet, to absolutely soaking, and Jake knew it. With one hand on my hip and one cupping my breast, we began to slam into each other. Over and over, the heat building, the sweat covering our skin. I felt Jake in every inch of my body. I could have sworn I felt him in my hair and my toes.
The only problem was that there were so many sensations, so much that felt so good, I couldn’t tell which way was up. That was when Jake stopped me. Brought me to a full standstill as his hands ran up the layer of sweat on my arms, over my shoulders, and tangled in my hair. He kissed me hard and the sensation of being still was actually as enjoyable as moving.
“Stand up for me,” he murmured, pushing my body upward. I could barely hear him over the rain.
He spun me around, then pulled me back down onto his lap. He slid right back inside as if we hadn’t moved at all, but now it felt completely different, moving in the opposite direction, gliding back and forth over the bundle of nerves just inside my body.
I went limp from the pleasure.
So Jake pulled me back against him, letting my head rest on his muscular shoulder, his hands roaming up my stomach to my own shoulders. He hooked his large hands over the top of them and pulled down on my body, forcing us even closer together.
I shuddered.
“Oh, baby, you feel so damn good...” he gasped breathlessly into my ear.
I didn’t respond. I just closed my eyes and let myself feel everything. His cock buried deep inside me, his chiseled muscles working against me, his warm breat
h on my ear, and his spicy scent in my nose.
He rocked in and out of me in short movements as his hands glided along my skin in the most reverent way possible. It was like he was worshiping me.
Then he cupped my breasts, bringing my nipples perfectly between his large thumbs and fingers. That’s when he started to play—teasing me gently, tugging and thrusting. I was flying high and completely lost to everything but Jake.
I never wanted to stop feeling like this. It had to be the most amazing combination of sensations known to man. I couldn’t catch my breath and I didn’t want to. I was putty in his hands and he was molding me into a work of art. I was reduced to a slick of hot sweat and incoherent moaning.
The thunder rumbled the shack again and the rain continued to pound on the roof. Just as Jake was pounding inside of me.
Oh yes, this was absolutely my favorite time of day: Fuck Me O’clock.
We went on like that for a while—savoring and pulling every last drop of sensation we could out of our time together. Making up for everything we had lost. Until I was sure my body wasn’t capable of any more.
“Come on baby. Give it to me. I want to hear you.” Somehow those words were exactly what I needed. It focused me and a fantastic warmth bloomed inside my belly. I started to pulse in the beginning of what felt like the most powerful orgasm I could ever remember feeling. It frightened me. I was positive it was going to hurt more than please. For a split second I even considered asking Jake to stop, but before I could think too much, the pulsing and throbbing took over. It washed out from my center, vibrating and contracting every muscle in my body.
