"There he is." Larissa points with excitement, and I see his head weaving in and out of people as he locks eyes on me from across the room.
"Thanks, Larissa," I say and start moving toward him.
We come to meet in about the middle of the room, and he looks at me with worry. "Is Corinne okay?"
"She's fine," I assure him because he didn't expect me here tonight. I totally wanted to be, but Corinne has the flu. While my mom was happy to watch her, she was also tremendously nervous as this is the sickest Corinne has been since her surgery. I give him further reassurance, "Her fever broke, and well... I just wanted to be here with you."
Jerico smiles in relief and pulls me into his arms. When Corinne got sick two days ago, I knew it could interfere with my plans to attend the celebration tonight. But Jerico insisted I stay home tonight when he saw how freaked my mom was. I personally felt she was going to be fine on her own, but I love how much Jerico cares about my mom and Corinne. He felt it was more important I stay back.
"I was just getting ready to leave," he says before pulling back to look down at me. "Everything is in hand here, I've done my duty giving a toast, and I'm ready to get home and relax."
"Oh, my God," I say as I laugh, bringing a hand up to his face to touch his jaw. "You've turned into an old fuddy-duddy."
His eyes narrow at me. "An old fuddy-duddy?"
I snicker and press in closer. "I thought we'd go have a drink on The Deck. Maybe fool around a little. Celebrate your success."
Jerico cocks an eyebrow, his gorgeous green eyes sparkling with interest. "This has potential."
Going to my tiptoes, I put my lips as close to his ear as I can get. "I'm not wearing any panties under this dress."
"Jesus," he grumbles before bending down and shoving his face in my neck. "I work really hard to maintain a cool reputation here, and you come and give me a hard-on in about ten seconds. You're ruining my rep, babe."
I laugh again, feeling his chuckle against my skin. But then he pulls back and asks, "Are you sure she's okay?"
God, I love this man. I love him, I love him, I love him.
And let me tell you why...
Sure, he had nefarious intentions when we first met, but what I've come to realize is that he has a heart of gold. I know deep down, even had we not developed feelings for each other, he wouldn't have sent that stuff to Jayce. Jerico doesn't have it in him to hurt an innocent. That's old history, and I rarely think of it.
But since then, he's shown me just how generous his heart is. After purchasing my termite-infested home, he had the damage repaired as well as put in new flooring and appliances. He handed the keys over to my mom once it was painted and had new furniture. This stunned me because he did this without even telling me what his plans were.
In fact, it was sort of highhanded of him, but after he turned the keys over to my mom, he took Corinne and me for a ride. He picked us up at the apartment I'd moved into with Corinne and Mom, and we got ice cream. Then we drove into a gated subdivision where he pulled into a Mediterranean-style home that was massively big and made my eyes bug out.
"What do you think?" he asked us when we got out of the car.
"It's like a castle," Corinne said in awe. "Like Aladdin would live there or something."
"It's gorgeous," I said hesitantly, then turned to look at him with suspicion. "Why are you asking us?"
"We'll go inside and take a look around," he said as he took Corinne by the hand. She latched onto him tightly, a strong indication that her feelings were growing deep.
Just like mine.
"Whose house is this?" I asked as I followed them up to the door.
"Ours," he said casually as we walked up the steps of the porch. "If you like it, that is."
"Ours?" I asked hoarsely, my throat having gone dry.
Jerico turned around, Corinne with him. She stared up at me as he brought his hands to her shoulders, and he said, "Trista... you're it for me. And Corinne is yours, so I want us all to be together."
It's true. Corinne is mine. It's another thing Jerico facilitated quite easily once I was able to reach Danielle and have a heart to heart with her. It took about five conversations, but Danielle eventually asked me to take custody of Corinne and I agreed. Jerico got the paperwork done within a month, and she was officially mine.
Well... she's ours, like Jerico said.
It's my hope that one day Danielle will realize what she's lost and hopefully try to have some type of relationship with her daughter, but only time will tell.
Corinne, Jerico, and I moved into that massive home four months ago, and I couldn't be happier. My mom lives just twenty minutes from us, Corinne is healthy, moderately happy, and doing well in school, and I have a job I love. And to put the perfect icing on the perfect cake, I have Jerico and he loves me.
"Corinne is fine," I tell him firmly. "Mom has everything in hand. This is your big night and you should celebrate. And because it's your night, we're going to do whatever you want to do. If you want to take me to The Deck and fuck me, I'm yours. If you want to go home, get in our pajamas, and watch TV in between hovering over Corinne, I'm yours as well. Just tell me how you want me."
Jerico's eyes go soft as he looks at me. "I love you. I want you any way I can get you."
"You can get me any way you want me," I tell him with a smirk. "And I love you too."
"Let's go home," he says as he turns me toward the elevator door. "It's too crowded here tonight. Home sounds nicer."
Jerico's arm slips around my waist, and we walk slowly through the crowd. I think about cuddling on the couch with him, munching popcorn and watching an old black-and-white movie. I like that idea better too.
"However," he says as he leans to the side and murmurs, "I intend to take advantage of you not wearing panties before we get those pajamas on."
Yes, home sounds like a better idea, indeed.
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The seduction continues at The Wicked Horse Vegas with Wicked Wish (Wicked Horse Vegas, Book #2), coming August 15, 2017!
CLICK HERE to pre-order Wicked Wish now
Jorinda Pearce thought she did everything right - graduated from college, married her college sweetheart, established a career. But what does she have to show for it now? A degree she doesn't use, a job she hates, and an ex-husband that spent more nights bending his secretary over his desk than he did sitting at the dinner table with her. Now that the dust has settled, Jorie is needing a drastic change in her life and Vegas is just the place.
Looking for a long overdue adventure, Jorie takes a walk on the wild side and attends the annual masquerade ball at The Wicked Horse Vegas. It's exactly the escape she's looking for, and even better, she can explore anonymously. Drawn to the man masked in black leather with the body of a god, Jorie finds the greatest pleasures of her life at the hands of a stranger.
Cason Brooks is the most sought after man in The Wicked Horse and sex is nothing but a game to him. He appreciates the anonymity the club offers and he loves that he can leave at the end of the night without looking back. But there's no way he can walk away from the mysterious green eyed beauty behind the mask of sapphire feathers, because he knows exactly who she is.
Jorie is his best friend's little sister and there's not another woman in the world that's more off limits than her.
What happens when Jorie discovers that the only man able to fulfill her wicked desires is the one man she never dared to wish she could have? And will she survive falling for a man like Cason, that doesn't know how to love at all?
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To see Other Works by Sawyer Bennett, please visit her Book Page on her website.
About the Author
Since the release of her debut contemporary romance novel, Off Sides, in January 2013, Sawyer Bennett has released more than 30 books and has been featured on both the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists on multiple occasions.
A reformed trial lawyer from North Carolina, Sawyer uses real life experience to create relatable, sexy stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From new adult to erotic contemporary romance, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.
Sawyer likes her Bloody Marys strong, her martinis dirty, and her heroes a combination of the two. When not bringing fictional romance to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to a very active toddler, as well as full-time servant to two adorably naughty dogs. She believes in the good of others, and that a bad day can be cured with a great work-out, cake, or a combination of the two.
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