by Andi Jaxon
Alister and Ben are meeting Kristen and I, at Mom and Dad’s house for dinner. I don’t know what Mom is going to have but it doesn’t matter, Angel is about to be surrounded by love, laughter, and family. I park on the street in front of the home I grew up in and smile, happy another kid will have happy memories here.
“Come on, babe, I’ll race you.” Quicker than I expected, Kristen is out of the car and sprinting across the lawn. Hot on her heels, I’m on her in a flash and right before she can get to the last step, I fling my arm around her waist and spin us. Taking a step backwards, I’m the first one there.
“I win.” I smile, breathing hard.
“You’re a dirty cheater!” she accuses, pointing a finger at my chest.
“What are you going to do about it?” I pin her against the door, leaning in close. I’m about to kiss her when the door opens, and she disappears into the entryway with a big shit eating grin on her beautiful face.
“I win.” She sticks her tongue out and walks away.
“Who’s the dirty cheater now?” I say after her, closing the door behind me.
Shaking my head, I make my way to the living room and plop down on the couch next to Dad. Kristen is in the kitchen with Mom and I can hear Angel telling her all about her new room, talking a mile a minute.
“So, how does it feel to have a kid in the house again?”
Dad looks at me and smiles. “It would be better if it was a grandchild, but I’m happy. She’s going to be hell on wheels in a few years, but I look forward to the challenge.” As she’s gotten more secure in her surroundings, she’s let her wants be known. She’s no push over.
Alister and Ben come in, giving us a wave but making a bee line for the kitchen. They weren’t able to make it to the hospital during the day while Angel was awake, and they are both desperate to meet her. Ben’s anxious, having been an abuse victim himself, he knows firsthand how hard it is to come back from.
Getting up, I follow them but stay outside the doorway to observe. I’m curious what she’ll think of them and if she’ll notice that Alister isn’t me.
“Hi boys,” Mom greats them, hugs and cheek kisses are given. Angel is sitting on the counter and no longer talking but looking between the newcomers.
“Angel, this is Alister and Ben.” Kristen introduces them. “Alister is Alex’s twin brother and Ben is my best friend. They’re married.”
She doesn’t say anything but leans into Kristen. Ben takes a step forward and lifts his shirt, making the burn scars visible. I’ve only seen a few of his scars since they’ve healed, but never the ones on his stomach. I remember how bad they were when I found him, that was enough. Until his and Alister’s honeymoon, I’ve never seen him without at least a tank top on. Everyone is stunned by his actions, the girls gasp and wait for Angel’s reaction.
“Hi, Angel. I’m a survivor, just like you.” She stares at the scars that mar his abdomen for a minute before slowly reaching toward him. Ben takes a step closer so she can feel the marks and he sucks in a big breath when her fingers meet his flesh. At the sound, she looks up at him then pulls his shirt down to cover the marks. Reaching for his hand, she holds it in her lap.
“Bad man too? Alex make him away. Safe now.”
Emotion knots in my throat at her words. From the sniffles around the room, I’m not the only one being hit right in the feels.
“Alex saved me too,” Ben chokes out, wiping tears from his eyes.
Angel smiles up at him and wraps her arms around his waist. “We friends now.”
“That we are, little bug, that we are.” Ben hugs her close, obviously comforted by this strong, sweet little girl.
My phone rings, interrupting the momentum of the moment. Looking at the screen, I can see its from work, so I step out onto the deck to take it.
“Bennet.”
“Bennet, this is Captain Kingston. Is this a bad time? I have an update on your case.” Having the captain call you is a big fucking deal, my ass just puckered.
“No, sir, it’s a good time.”
“First, I want to thank you for being so diligent. You saved more than one life, they wouldn’t have stopped. Second, Mike Preston has come clean about a few things I have a feeling you’ll be interested in knowing. I know you had a personal interest in the Wallace case, the kidnapping case that you were on the raid team for last year.”
“Yes, sir.” What the hell?
“From what we’ve found and what he’s told us, they had a child slavery ring for lack of better way to put it. Daniel Trubrown was a foster parent that would sell kids off, Preston helping him hide it by burying paperwork. The little girl you found with Kristen Collins, being one of those kids. From what he says, Kristen Collins was one of them as well, sold to the Collins family to replace a child they had lost.”
“What about Jonathon?” I’m not sure I want to know the answer.
“Well, turns out he raped a boy in high school. Preston knew and held it over him, forcing him to bankroll damn near everything. He’s been picked up and arrested, he’ll be charged with everything I can throw at him.”
“Jesus,” I press my fingers to my eyes, not knowing what to think or how to process this.
“My thoughts exactly. Since you know people involved in this case, I can’t put you on it officially, but any information you have will be greatly appreciated.”
“I understand.”
“That’s all I have for now. We’re still digging and verifying what we can. I’ll make sure you’re kept updated.”
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.” I’m about to end the call when I remember another question I want to ask. “Sir, have you gotten the DNA results back from the lab for Angel?”
“Oh, yes I did. She shares DNA with Kristen Collins but not Mary Beth or Jonathon Collins, so they have the same parents but it’s not the Collins’.”
“Thank you, I’ll make sure to pass that along.” We disconnect and I set my phone on the deck railing. Arms come around me and Kristen rests her face against my back.
“Work?” she asks quietly.
“Yeah,” I run my hand over my head. “From what they’ve found, what Mary Beth told you was true.”
She takes a deep breath and holds onto me tighter. “It doesn’t matter.”
I turn in her arms, cupping her face in my hands. Her eyes shine with unshed tears that I’m so fucking tired of seeing. She should be happy, smiling, laughing, not crying all the time.
“Angel is your sister.”
“You’re all the family I need. Once Angel is adopted, The Bennet family will be all I need.”
My heart slams in my chest and I kiss her softly. “I love you, Gorgeous. I love you so much it fucking hurts.”
“I love you too, man whore.” I smirk, wiping away a stray tear.
“Only for you, baby.”
Kristen
IT’S BEEN A LITTLE over a month since Angel and I were rescued. I’ve moved into Alex’s house, decorating it no matter how much he grumbles about my ‘girly shit.’ The house finally looks like someone lives there instead of a single dude who just crashes there. It feels like a home.
I’ve made a big breakfast for when Alex gets home, which should be any minute, and I’m both nervous and excited. I’ve set the table, made coffee, and am sitting at the table tapping my fingers on the wood.
The Jeep pulls up in the driveway and I hear the door close then his boots on the sidewalk. Five steps up the stairs and across the porch then the front door opens. He’s exhausted from a long night but drops his bag on the couch and walks to me. I stand and kiss him, my arms wrapped around his neck. Against my belly, his cock lengthens, ready in an instant to take me.
I slow the kiss and take a step back. “Have a seat, I made breakfast.”
He chuckles. “I can see that. I’m starved but I’m not sure this is going to hit the spot.” He winks at me.
Sitting down on the other side of the table, I serve myself and take a bite when the
timer on the oven goes off.
“Babe, can you grab the bun in the oven for me?” I ask him. Alex rolls his eyes but gets up to do it. From my seat, I can see him clearly as he turns off the oven and opens the door. When he turns his head to look at me, he’s obviously confused.
“There’s one roll in here. You made just one?” he pulls it out and sets it on the cook top.
I shrug nonchalantly. “It’s a big bun. You could say, it’s family sized.”
It takes him a minute, but his head whips around a second before he’s stalking toward me.
“Are you pregnant?” he demands, standing over me with his hands on his hips.
My smile splits my face, joy bubbling inside of me. “Yes, I am.”
Without any warning, Alex pulls me out of my chair to stand then drops to his knees. His hands shake as he slowly lifts my shirt to expose my stomach. His eyes tracing over every centimetre of skin.
“You told me you were on birth control,” his voice breaks as his hand brushes against my skin.
“I was, but I missed my appointment to get my depo shot due to being kidnapped and with everything that followed, I forgot.” Unease has butterflies fluttering in my belly. “Are you mad?”
“You’re going to have my baby.” Awe laces his voice and his eyes are still zeroed in on my belly. I run my hand through his hair, the short soft strands tickling my palm before I cup his cheek. “Do you have any idea how happy you make me?” he asks. Before I have a chance to respond, the dark chocolate of his eyes shines as he looks at me.
“Yeah, I think I do,” I say around a lump in my throat. I take a deep breath and swallow. “Because you make me just as happy.”
He stands and wraps his arms around my shoulders, a tear leaking from his eye.
“Forever and always, Gorgeous.”
“Forever and always, man whore.”
Craze
Learning Curve
By Andi Jaxon and AJ Alexander
Save Me
The SEAL’ed Series
Honor
Love
Fate
Power
Faith
SEAL’ed Boxed Set
From Dyslexic kid with a love of Algebra to a published author, no one is more surprised than I am. I love to write about tortured pasts and hot sex, a happily ever after that has to be worked for. My stories tend to be a little dark but with some comic relief, typically in the form of sarcasm.
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Table of Contents
www.andijaxon.com
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
TWENTY-EIGHT
TWENTY-NINE
THIRTY
THIRTY-ONE
THIRTY-TWO
THIRTY-THREE
THIRTY-FOUR
THIRTY-FIVE
THIRTY-SIX
THIRTY-SEVEN
THIRTY-EIGHT
THIRTY-NINE
FORTY
FORTY-ONE
FORTY-TWO
FORTY-THREE
FORTY-FOUR
FORTY-FIVE
FORTY-SIX
FORTY-SEVEN
FORTY-EIGHT
FORTY-NINE
