by MINK
“Darling?” My head jerks up, and I see my mom standing over me with a mug in her hand. “I know that look. You’re in love.”
I take the mug from her. “Yeah.” I sip the hot chocolate. It’s my favorite. She makes them every night before bed. It’s actually the one thing we always did together before I moved out. I’d cherished that little sliver of time we’d spend together. She’d make the drinks, and we’d sit in the living room drinking it while I read or played on my phone while she checked over her emails one last time before calling it a night.
“He’s a dangerous man, but I’m not one to judge. I married a dangerous man myself.”
I bark out a laugh at the thought of my dad being dangerous. But the look on her face tells me she’s not joking.
“I guess you’re right.” I never thought about my dad being some sort of troublemaker, but I guess he is in his own way. He started as a hacker, and he wasn’t exactly doing things on the up and up. I don’t think of Tiernan as being dangerous either, but I know he is. I’m sure in the last 24 hours and possibly right now while I sip on this hot chocolate, that he is most likely out there killing someone. Yet that thought doesn’t scare me in the least because I know he’s doing it to protect me.
Both my parents seem to be handling me bringing Tiernan home better than I thought they would. Especially since I told them the truth of who he really is. I know he pulled my dad aside, and they talked for a while before he took off and left me here, stashed away with my parents. This is the safest place in Hollywood if I have to guess. I’m sure that’s the only reason Tiernan was okay with leaving my side.
My parents had started building this fortress when I moved out for college and got my own place. The giant dome house is lifted off the ground right outside of Hollywood on a nice mountain that overlooks the city. From the outside, it looks to be all glass. We can see out everywhere, but no one can see in it. The whole place is run on solar power. It’s impressive.
“Where do you think some of my books and things might have ended up?” They’d been in my room, but that was in the old place.
Mom looks thoughtful. “Hmm. I might have them here.”
I set my mug down and follow her along a hallway. I watch as she touches the door, and it slides into the wall, revealing my bedroom.
“It’s my room.” I step inside. All my crap is here. It looks like my old room with the only difference now being the walls are all glass.
“Did you think I tossed your things out?” Her perfect eyebrows pull together.
“I thought maybe you boxed everything up or something,” I admit.
“I know I’m not super motherly, but you’re still my baby girl, Daphne. I’m sorry. I should have been better. I should have spent more time with you. Your father and I just wanted you to be independent, but we also threw ourselves into our work more than we should’ve, I guess. We’re both too ambitious. Always have been.” She gives me a smile. “I’ll be better. I promise. My grandkids will have the best grandma,” she adds. Again it’s one of those times that I’m reminded my parents do love me. They’re just a little different. I saw the look on both of their faces when I showed up alive and well. Relief. Mom actually looked like she might cry.
“I love you, Mom.” I walk over and give her a hug. She kisses my cheek.
“I love you too, darling.” She hugs me a little tighter. “I’ll be in the living room,” she says before leaving me alone in my room. I go to my old trunk and place my thumb on the lock screen. It clicks open. My dad put the special lock on it for me. I thought it was magic back then. I laugh, thinking back on it.
I reach in, finding the one thing I’m looking for, and take it out. For some reason I have this overwhelming need to show it to Tiernan. It’s proof that I’ve been obsessed with him for a while now. Fate. “This was fate all along.” I trace the cover with my index finger.
“Red?”
I drop the book as I jump to my feet. Tiernan stands in the doorway of my bedroom. I run over to him and launch myself at him.
“I love you,” I say over and over while I kiss him.
“Love you too.” He steps into my room and lets the door close behind him. “You’re free,” he says. “From the assholes who sent the mercs, at least. But you’re stuck with me.”
I burst into laughter. “I’m okay with that.”
He carries me over to my bed and sits down with me in his lap.
“Good.” He grabs my wrist and slips a ring onto my finger. I gasp as I take in the giant teardrop ruby that’s set in a platinum band.
“Your father and I came to an agreement. I keep your little ass alive and happy, and you’re all mine. If I don’t, he said my face and location would flood the internet, and I think there was a mention of having done all the high level security for the nuclear codes.”
I shake with silent laughter. “Look, I know I’m a catch. Settling down wasn’t something I was really thinking about, but … I guess I can marry you.” I let out a sigh.
He turns and pins me onto my bed.
“I wasn’t asking.” He kisses me.
I moan into his mouth.
“You’re mine, Red. We might be in your father's house, but you know who your daddy is.”
Oh myyyyy. That should not turn me on like it does, but I swear I have a small orgasm. He rocks against me, his cock pressing into my sex.
“Tiernan.” I moan his name.
“Wrong.” He stops immediately.
“Daddy,” I correct quickly, making him smile. I get more turned on seeing the approval on his handsome face.
“You think you can be quiet?” His voice drops low. “Quiet enough to let Daddy fuck his little girl in her bed?” He bites my bottom lip.
I nod my head, and he begins rocking again. A small moan comes from me. “Sorry,” I whisper.
“Liar.” Maybe I am.
“You’re going to let me fill your sweet little cunt with my seed. Then we’re going to go have dinner with your parents. You’ll sit at the table full of my cum reminding you who your real daddy is.”
I’m going to orgasm listening to him talk.
“Then we’ll go home.”
“The lodge?” Home to me is wherever Tiernan is, but I do love the lodge. We’ve made our own little family out there. One that is going to start growing quickly.
“The lodge,” he agrees before I do as he asks. I let him fill me with his seed, and he gives me more orgasms than I can even count.
Who knew that the story that I had been working on so many years ago while looking for my big break would actually turn into my happily ever after?
14
Tiernan
I snort quietly and keep reading.
I don’t know why, but I can’t stand not knowing what happened to Lucky. He’s still alive. He has to be. I just can’t get a bead on him. I’ve hacked and dug and looked everywhere. I refuse to believe he’s dead. He’s too smart, too damn clever. He was smart to try and keep his face out of the press. He’d be hard to spot by anyone except those who knew him, especially if he’s changed his look at all. God, what I wouldn’t give to know the truth about him. I’m obsessed. It has to stop. But I get the feeling I’ll never stop looking for this gangster. Maybe one day I can have a true crime blog and put all my notes out for people to help me look for him. Then I could—
“Hey!” Daphne jumps on my back and swipes her journal out of my hands.
“What?” I grab her arm and pull her into my lap. “I was just doing some light reading.”
“You know these are private,” she scolds as I pull her close.
A fresh snow falls outside as we cuddle in front of the fire. Leonard, the enormous cat, walks past and leaves through his top of the line cat door. Diego and I installed it when Daphne and I returned from LA a week ago.
Things have been quiet since. Good. I want them to stay that way so I can enjoy my sneaky little brat. I nibble her ear.
“I think you weren’t just
curious about me. You were smitten.”
She wrinkles her nose. “I was obsessed with the facts of the case. Not you.”
“Yes, me.” I slide one hand down to her hip and move my other between her thighs. “You’ve been obsessed with me for years.”
She huffs and rolls her eyes. “Please.”
“It’s okay. Because now I’m obsessed with you.” I run my hand higher and inside the fabric of her flannel shorts until I feel her panties.
She gasps. “Tiernan!”
“My little brat needs a reminder of who I am.” I push past the panties and run my fingers up her slit.
“Daddy,” she breathes.
“Better.” I kiss her throat as I finger her slowly, torturously.
When I stroke her clit, her body tightens, her breathing stops, and she comes on a low moan that I swallow with a hard kiss.
She’s panting when I put my fingers to my lips and lick them clean. “You are filthy, Mr. Luciano.”
“Hold that thought, because I intend to eat the hell out of your ass tonight.”
“TMI, jeez.” Charles walks through the living room and can barely stifle his laughter.
“As if you don’t eat ass,” I scoff.
“He does.” Clover flits through the room and into the kitchen. “Like a champ.”
Charles growls and follows her. Then we hear giggles and moans from the kitchen.
Daphne sighs and nestles against my chest. “I love it here.”
“So do I. Ever since you ladies showed up, this house has become a home. cliché, but true.”
“You guys are practically brothers.”
“Yeah, we are. But we still had our skirmishes.”
“You mean when the four of you argue over your body counts?” She shakes her head. “I’ll never understand how you can be so sweet, caring, and loving, but then you can destroy anyone who crosses you.”
“That’s easy, Red.” I kiss her crown. “You come first. Anyone threatens you, that’s the last mistake they’ll make. We keep what’s ours.”
“Can I get an amen?” Aurora jets through the living room with Diego hot on her heels.
He just gives a low grunt and thunders after her while she giggles. When a door slams deeper in the lodge, I know he’s caught her.
“She’s about to hit a high note.” Daphne smiles.
“So are we. I managed to get the preacher from Frozen Falls out here next week.”
She leans back, her eyes wide. “Next week?”
My heart sinks. “You don’t want to get married next week?”
When she throws her arms around my neck and squeezes, I can finally breathe again. “Oh my God! Next week!” She jumps up and down in my lap, which makes my cock stiffen beneath her. Jesus, she can always get me going. “That is perfect! I need a dress, though, and my parents—”
“Are coming. I already talked to them.”
She squeezes me again, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to wipe the grin off my face.
“Preacher?” Barrow leans on the doorframe from his wing of the house. “Next week?”
“Yeah.” I give him a nod.
“I’m in.” He pats his coat pocket and lowers his voice. “I’ve just been waiting for Leonard to learn my proposal routine. He’s supposed to wear it around his neck, and then I’m going to tell Bells that—n ”
“Tell Bells what?” She walks in, her hair up in a messy bun as she leans against Barrow.
He stiffens. “Oh, uh, nothing.”
“Well, can you tell me nothing in your room?” She gets on her tiptoes and kisses him.
“Yes ma’am.” He scoops her up and carries her away.
Love. That shit is everywhere, and I have to admit I kind of like it.
Charles pops his head out of the kitchen. “I’m in,” he calls, then disappears again.
“Ears of a damn bat.” I shake my head. The only one we’re missing is Diego.
“Diego is smitten. This is shaping up to be 4 weddings and—”
“About 126 funerals--if you’re counting the month since all of you showed up. Assassins, mercs, media moguls—we’ve taken them all out.”
“You murdered a drone, too.” She holds up a finger.
I kiss the tip. “Tech doesn’t count.”
She holds her hand out and admires her ring. “Four brides. I can’t even believe it.”
“Believe it, Red.” I kiss the spot beneath her ear that makes her shiver. “This is forever. For all of us. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
She relaxes into my arms, and we watch the snow fall, listen to the fire crackle, and rest in the knowledge that the love we share is also shared by the three other couples whose lives are woven with ours.
This is our family. This is our forever.
Each Blushing Bride gets her happily ever EPILOGUE in this free download from MINK! Click HERE!
Also by MINK
Stealing His Bride
I can take care of myself. I always have. For that matter, I’ve also taken care of my best friends Aurora and Clover. Keeping them safe has landed me with a concussion after our car accident thanks to a wayward lynx.
On top of that, I seem to have landed in a handsome man’s bed. Not just any man, Barrow attends to all my needs and never wants to leave my side. He’s big, brawny, and possessive, and I find myself falling for him more by the minute. The lodge is a safe haven that I’m quickly wanting to call home. But my self doubt creeps in ,and I start to think maybe I’m imagining Barrow’s attraction to me. After all, Aurora’s the star of our group, not me.
But the more he dotes on me, compliments me, and gives me those heated looks I feel down to my toes, the more I realize he’s genuine and that we could have a real future together.
When I get a job offer that’s hard to turn down, will I choose love or life outside the lodge?
Claiming His Bride
Performing onstage in front of tens of thousands of fans is a rush, without a doubt. But one look from Diego sends an even hotter thrill of excitement through my veins. He’s huge, a man of few words and hungry eyes. No matter how much I try to get him to open up to me, he won’t. So, I have to change my tactics.
This mountain lodge is full of mysterious men, and Diego is the one I’m desperate to solve. He’s madly protective, but he won’t get close. Pushing him over the edge has become my main goal. I tempt him with skimpy outfits and my signature chocolate cake.
My plan is going perfectly until my biggest fear comes true. I thought I would be safe out here in the snowy wilderness with Diego. Was I wrong?
Knocking Up His Bride
It came out of nowhere. A huge cat in the middle of the road. We swerved to avoid it and crashed into a snowy tree, ending our road trip early and stranding us far from the local town, in the middle of a snowstorm with another on the way. How can a pop star, her assistant, and her best friend survive in a snowy wilderness? Short answer is: they can’t.
But then *he* came out of nowhere. The big guy with the gruff voice and the sharp eyes. The eyes that are always on me. I have to trust him, to accept his rescue of my friends and me, but the more I get to know Charles, the more I realize I need him. Maybe we landed at the lodge with these mysterious mountain men by accident, but Charles makes me believe it was good luck that brought us here.
Even though he’s vague about his past, his kisses are certain, and his gentle touches becomes addictive. His love is all-consuming.
But when an old threat follows us to the lodge, Charles reveals his particular set of skills, deadly ones. Can I accept the man who treats me so sweetly but can kill without a thought?
Under His Spell
I live in a haunted house. Well, at least that’s what the bloggers and ghost hunters think. The legends about the house on Raven Ridge aren’t true. But when I find Sienna in a chat room and read her words of interest in my house, I take an interest. And once I learn more about her, I know I need to get her here by any means nece
ssary. So, sure, I play into the “haunted” rumors.
Once Sienna arrives, she’s even better than my imaginings. Smart, sweet, and utterly adorable—she’s tracking a ghost and won’t be denied. Good thing I can do my part in making the house seem haunted.
Until strange things start happening. . . Sounds, feelings, and creepiness that grows by the day. I always thought the stories about the ghost of Raven Ridge were made up nonsense, but this October, I’m learning the past is alive, and I’m in a race against the clock to keep Sienna alive, too.
Beauty Tempts the Beast
Revenge is my life’s work. I’m an artist in the subject. And there’s one masterpiece I’ve had my eye on for quite some time. Helen. She seems innocent and sweet, but she comes from a family that left me scarred and broken. Taking her will be the pinnacle of my vengeance. So I do. But once I have her … I can’t seem to continue with my plan.
This has never happened. I’ve killed without remorse, taken revenge again and again on any who wronged me. But when it comes to Helen, I can’t bear to see her so much as break a nail, which happens with frightening frequency given her adorable clumsiness. So I keep her. And I protect her. And before I know it … I love her.
But her family isn’t the sort to let anything or anyone go. I’ll have to fight to keep her, but will my beauty decide to stay with her beast, or leave and break my heart?
Loan Shark’s Obsession
I know a priceless object when I see it. Always have. It’s a gift, or perhaps a curse. The moment I get a glimpse of Laura, I get the same feeling as when I see a stolen work of art from a master. It’s real. Authentic. And it makes everything inside me hunger to possess her. But Laura can’t be bought, and she’s turned me down every time I’ve approached her for nothing more than a date.
