Dancing With Redemption (Barre To Bar Book 5)

by Summer Cooper

  “Well, yes, it is, but like this,” she pointed at her stomach, “it’s probably the easiest way. I don’t know. I’ve never had sex while pregnant. Maybe we should try out every position?”

  She leaned back against the pillows and smiled over at him, a dare in her eyes.

  “Then every position it is, my lady,” he chuckled softly, but then his eyes changed, and the intensity from before came right back.

  His head dipped, swiping a long lick between her folds before he moved back up her body to kiss her. He knew she loved tasting herself on his tongue, on his face. “Do you want me to get a condom?”

  “No, why? I’m already pregnant.” She grinned, enjoying the joke.

  “I thought it would be best to ask, that’s all.” His rueful smile told her he’d got the joke. Her belly wasn’t huge yet so he could still lean over her to kiss her deep and hard. Her hands came up to grasp at his face, to hold his mouth there with hers.

  He slid into her then, when she was caught up in his kiss, surprising her into gasping into his mouth.

  “Lincoln. Fuck. You feel so good.”

  Lincoln pushed in deeper, opening her inch by inch until she had all of him she could take.

  “Fuck, I forgot how tight you are!” Lincoln gasped, his eyes closed in ecstasy.

  Instead of answering him, Roxie moved her hips, trying to get him to move inside of her, but it seemed he was enjoying simply being in her too much.

  Lincoln moved a hand between them, searching for and finding that sensitive spot that made her gasp before he began to move inside of her.

  “Just, fuck, don’t stop!” Roxie cried as her body exploded, gripping at Lincoln, pulsing around him like she never wanted to let him go. It had been too long, she hadn’t even got herself off since that night, and he was just too good at getting her off. She stopped caring about anything, about what she should do, what she wanted to do, and just became light wrapped in erotic pleasure. She rode the waves that pulsed through her, listening to him gasp as she moved against him, her heels digging into the bed as her back arched, pushing her down onto him, nearly dragging him with her into the nothingness.

  Roxie could only sigh when the pressure of his finger between her legs became too much and she had to twitch her hips and hold his hand still with her own. It had been good, but it was too much now. Lincoln could play games, force her right into another orgasm, but he was being gentle with her.

  She wasn’t ready for those kinds of games just yet, and thankfully, he knew it. “I love you, Lincoln.”

  The words came out of nowhere, a need that formed so suddenly she couldn’t stop her voice from speaking them. She had to tell him, so she did.

  “I love you, Roxie,” he answered, staring into her eyes. “But I can’t wait any longer. I need to finish.”

  “Then finish, baby,” she answered, relaxing so that he’d know everything was okay. “You’ll take me with you.”

  “I will,” he promised, just before he moved her hips, tilting her up a little, as he drove down into her, striving for the right spot. As she knew it would, each thrust drove new pleasure into her, until she felt her back arch, her heels once again digging into the bed as she matched his pace.

  Lincoln thrust harder with her, into just the right spot, a spot that started the quaking inside of her all over again. She couldn’t breathe, her lungs were so tight, and air was hard to gasp in, but it didn’t matter, not when it felt so good.

  Lincoln watched her, drinking in the sight of her face as she watched him, the way his body moved with hers, until she heard him gasp and go still. “Come on baby, take me with you.”

  “Fuck, Roxie. Don’t stop,” he gasped when she reached for his nipples and twisted them intensely. It was a pleasurable pain, a pain that he liked, and she was willing to give it to him because it only made him thrust deeper, faster, taking her with him, as she’d asked him to.

  His head fell back when he finally let himself go, gasping every time she clenched around him. Together their bodies pulsed around and within each other, taking and giving all that they could. At last, they were one, and there was nothing that could tear them apart ever again. Not anymore.

  Roxie smiled at him when he withdrew from her and nestled up beside her. “I hope you don’t think we’re done.”

  “As if,” he answered, pulling her into his arms. “I’ll never get enough of you, anyway. Ever.”

  “Good, because I’m not letting you go ever again.” She cuddled into his chest, her hand over his heart. This was home, right here with him, where nothing could ever get to her.

  Soon they’d have another child that they’d raise together, along with the daughter that he’d missed so much time with. They had it all now, together.

  “I still hate you, though, even if I do love you,” she teased and heard his laughter rumble under her ear.

  “Good. I love you too, princess.”

  19

  Roxie

  One Year Later

  “Michael and Lily are with June, Aunt Katie is going to the movies, and I’m dressed and ready to go. Are you on your way home?” Roxie asked, holding the phone up to her face as she brushed her hair out. It was down to her shoulders now, her real hair, blonde as always without any dye in it at all. It would have been longer, but she’d had it cut not long ago.

  There were no signs now of her former injuries, and even her nails were coated in gel polish with a black and gold design on them. A pair of heels pinched at her toes, the only pain she felt in them now. And her waist had recovered from pregnancy, although she was a little thicker now than she had been before Michael’s conception. She didn’t mind, and Lincoln certainly didn’t complain, so she didn’t force herself into an exercise regimen that would melt the pounds away. She just enjoyed being Mom to a new baby and his sister.

  “I’m going in the suit I have on, so I’ll just drive up if you don’t mind?” He asked over the phone’s speaker, and Roxie could hear the sounds of traffic. He was driving with the windows down again even though it was winter, silly man. “Oh, hey, could you get my cufflinks out of my jewelry box?”

  “Sure, the onyx ones?” She moved over to the box, digging around looking for the cufflinks. A shelf moved inside the box, a tiny velvet shelf that held rings, revealing the edge of a piece of paper. Curious, she moved the shelf more, frowning when she saw the shape of the paper. It looked like one of the love notes she used to exchange with his brother.

  “Yeah, those. I have the titanium ones on at the moment, but I like the onyx better. Did you find them?”

  “Not yet,” she drew out the last word, her thoughts focused on the letter. She turned it over in her hand and recognized the writing on the fold that tucked underneath another fold. She’d learned to fold the letters into packets online, a skill shared by countless teenagers in previous generations that was probably lost on kids now.

  She frowned, despite the urge to smile. What was Lincoln doing with one of her letters to Liam? She pulled the other little shelves and boxes out and found six more letters. He had so many of them. How?

  “Lincoln?” She said as a question, more of a warning.

  “What babe?” He asked, obviously distracted with driving.

  “Nothing, nothing.” She spotted the cufflinks in one of the shelves, grabbed them along with the letters, and put them all in a little handbag she would be taking with her. “Found your cufflinks. Shall I meet you outside?”

  “Sure, I’ll be there in five,” he answered, completely clueless to the trouble he was about to come home to.

  She had on a long, blue dress that matched her eyes, but she wore a long black coat over it, to protect her from the cold. On her left hand, a diamond gleamed in the moonlight, matching the twinkling from the watch on her wrist. It had been her mother’s watch, a watch she’d given to him to pay for a loan he gave her a lifetime ago. He’d given it back to her just before Michael was born, knowing she’d like to have it.

  In the l
ast year, she’d finally reclaimed her old identity, claimed her inheritance, which was nothing to sneeze at, and was now kept in trust for her children, and she’d given birth to their son. She’d also been working on opening a new club with her friends and their husbands. It wasn’t Elmo’s, it was much better.

  Tonight was the grand opening, and they were going to be late if he didn’t hurry up and get here. She heard the sound of his car and looked up, a gleam in her eyes. She was going to find out exactly why he had Liam’s letters from her, one way or another.

  Because over the last year she’d got her confidence back, along with the independent streak she’d thought was long gone. Lincoln had helped her with that, allowed her to grow into who she was now, encouraged her to reach for her dreams and do what she wanted to do. He was an investor in her club, proving just how much he believed in her. But he had something he shouldn’t have, and she wanted to know why and how.

  “Hi babe,” he said as soon as she got in the car.

  “Hi, honey, here’s your cufflinks.” She handed them over to him, knowing he’d want to put them on right away. He took off the ones he had and handed them over so she could put them in her bag.

  “Thanks, you’re an angel.” He leaned over to kiss her before he put the car in reverse to pull out of the driveway.

  “I also found these,” she said, and pulled out the letters. “How did you get these, Lincoln?”

  “What? Ohhhh.” He looked at the letters and blanched before he looked at her. Luckily, he hadn’t pulled out just yet. “Those.”

  His face was a mask of guilt as his eyes came up to hers, worried.

  “Yes, these. They were to your brother. Why do you have them?” She looked at him with a glare, not backing down, but not being hateful. She just wanted answers.

  “Well, you see, um.” Lincoln frowned, put the car in park, and turned to face her. “I had to borrow Liam’s biology book one day and found the letter tucked into it. I asked him about it, and he said he wasn’t that interested in you. But, um, I was. Very.”

  “Okay. But he wrote me back.” Her left eyebrow lifted, warning that he was in danger. “He wrote me back, right Lincoln?”

  “Ummmm.” His cheeks turned red, very red, and his lips pursed until they almost disappeared. “Well, you see, Rox…”

  “Yes?” She asked with a snip, starting to see the truth, even if he couldn’t bring himself to say it yet.

  “I wrote you back. I decided to write the first one on a whim. Then I planned to tell you, but you seemed so into him and, well, shit.” He paused, running his right hand through his hair, his frown growing deeper. “I wanted you to like me so much, but after a while, I couldn’t figure out how to tell you it was me. I kept watching you watching him, and I felt like such a dick. I just didn’t know how to fix it, and then everything happened.”

  He held his hands out, at a loss now.

  “So, you wrote me those letters that touched me so much, that made my little teenage heart melt like butter?” She asked, pretending to be angry.

  “Yeah, it was me. I’m sorry, really. I just wanted some small part of you, to matter to you, and well, it wasn’t a good thing to do, but I really liked you, Roxie. I loved you.”

  “I’m kind of glad it was you, after all, Lincoln,” she said, after a pause where she looked out the window, thinking of all the things he’d promised her, and he’d kept every one so far. It took a little while, but he’d given her far more than she could have dreamed of. When she spoke, she turned her head back to him, a wide smile on her face.

  “What?” He breathed out in relief.

  “I’m glad it was you and not Liam. I don’t think he could have made me as happy as you do every day, Lincoln. And you kept the letters! That’s so sweet.” She leaned over to kiss him softly before she fell back. “All is forgiven.”

  “Phew.” He wiped at his brow and put the car in drive. “I’m kind of glad you know now. I’ve carried those around with me all over the world, even though they weren’t to me. I hoped one day, they would be to me.”

  “I’ll write you dozens, Lincoln. And a few more just to be sure.” She promised as he drove them along.

  “That would be nice. Maybe a little dirtier would be nicer?” He prompted. “Wait, didn’t you mention a kiss in those letters?”

  “Oh. Yes. There were a couple, but then he just stopped for some reason.” Roxie was the one with hot cheeks now.

  “I bet that’s when he was dating Sara. She was this girl who was already out of high school, she finished the year before he did. He had a big thing for her, but she wasn’t interested enough to make it work.” Lincoln revealed something Roxie hadn’t known before.

  “Maybe so. Anyway, he lost his chance. Lucky us.” She put her hand over his on the gear shift for a moment before she took it away.

  “Yes, very lucky us. Do I turn left here or right?” He asked and Roxie pointed to the left.

  “It’s just over there.” Roxie pointed, even though he’d been here dozens of times. He could never remember which way to turn at the intersection, for some reason.

  It was a four-story building, all glass on the front, but opaque so nobody could see inside. Lincoln pulled up to the front, helped her out of the car, and then gave the keys to the valet who would park it.

  “Okay, on this floor is the dance club and the adult club,” Roxie said, giving him the tour as the doors opened as soon as she walked up with him. “I know we were going to put the adult club upstairs, but we decided to keep it down here.”

  She’d worked hard to find the right building and get everything done with all of her friends helping along the way. It was a group effort, and group-funded, so she’d done her very best to create a fantasy that was also worth paying money to visit. “The restaurant is on this floor too.”

  “Okay. And the private dancing areas?” Lincoln asked softly. Only certain members would be allowed above the first floor and not everyone would know what was up there, no matter how curious they might be. Those floors were strictly for exclusive members who paid the fees to get up there.

  “Upstairs too.” Roxie wrapped her arms around Lincoln’s right arm as they walked in and found a group ready to greet them. Someone handed her champagne and Roxie took it.

  “This place is awesome,” River, a former protégé, said with a grin. “I can’t wait to get to work here.”

  “You and Kitty will be busy, that’s for sure,” Emily, a dear friend and former co-worker with her own hidden story, said with a smile of delight. “It’s beautiful, Roxie. I love it.”

  “Thanks, Emily.”

  “Can I get a job up here, Rox? I might need a new career,” Wendy asked as she came up behind her friend.

  “Any time, honey. But wait until after the wedding, won’t you? I don’t need one of my bridesmaids calling off because she can’t get off of work.”

  “Sure, honey.” Wendy hugged her with a laugh and glanced around. “You have ten minutes left before the crowd’s allowed in, right?”

  “Yeah, they’ve all been herded into the restaurant for now. I just wanted to thank you all for investing in the club, for believing in me, and helping me get this far before we open up to the public. So, here’s to all of you, and thank you.” Roxie held up her champagne glass as she toasted all the faces around her.

  There were more people than she thought there’d be, but that was fine. Everyone had helped in some way, with money or time, and she was grateful to them all. Keily was here with her husband Logan, some of Emily’s brothers were here too, having invested in the venture after Emily sold them on the idea. Their names wouldn’t be attached to any documents, but there was definitely Thompson money in this little experiment of hers.

  “Here’s to you, Roxie. You’ve been through hell and come out of it a queen. You have my deepest, lifelong respect and love, baby. Good luck, but I know you won’t need it.” Lincoln held his own glass up as he toasted her, making Roxie’s eyes sparkle with tear
s of happiness.

  “Thank you, baby,” she said and took a deep breath. “Let’s just hope our wedding this summer is as easy to pull off.”

  Everyone laughed at that and Roxie was finally able to wander off, to watch as the clients were finally allowed into the adult club section of the building. She saw men and women, alone and as couples or groups, walking in, looking around in amazement.

  The place was decorated with a lot of black glass and gold accents all over. It wasn’t gaudy, it was tasteful, with a stage at one end, a bar at the other, and black tile floors throughout.

  “Congratulations,” Lincoln said as he came up beside her, whispering into her ear with a seductive brush of his lips. “Do we have a room upstairs? I just remembered watching you dance, and I’d like a private performance.”

  “Anytime, my love, you know that.” She turned into his arms, ready for wherever he might lead them.

  “I do, but I wanted to be sure. Show me the way, Roxie. You know I’ll follow wherever you lead.”

  “Just as I’ll follow you, Lincoln. I love you,” she whispered the words against his lips, loving how much he still turned her on, even after another baby, and time, should have dulled their passion.

  She had a feeling that was never going to change. They were fire together, and always would be. And as long as they continued to lead each other through their lives together, she knew that would never change. She took his hand behind her back and started to walk out of the club to the elevators. It was time to start the next adventure with him.

  Epilogue

  Lincoln

  “He’s here, Lincoln. Are you sure about this?” Roxie asked, staring steadily at the man who would be her husband in a week.

  “Yes, my love. Let him in.” Lincoln stood up in his office, brushing down his shirt and straightening his tie. This was an important meeting, not a business one, but very personal. He didn’t want to impress the man who was about to walk into his office, he wanted the man to know he was fine without him, actually. But he did want to meet him.