On the Rocks (Kingston Brothers Book 1)
Page 24
Her lips part ever so slightly and her hand comes to the side of my face as she returns my gaze with a penetrating one of her own. “I love you, too.”
My heart bursts inside my chest at her admission. I’ve never had anyone besides family tell me they love me. Perhaps it’s because I never gave anybody the chance, but hearing those three words from her pretty, pink lips makes me glad that she’s the only one to utter them to me.
I kiss her. “Say it again.”
She giggles. “I love you.”
I plant another kiss on her lips. “Again.”
“I love you.”
“God, I’ll never tire of hearing you say those words. I love you so fucking much.”
He presses his mouth against mine again then nibbles my bottom lip and whispers, “I’ve never said that to another woman before.”
I pull back in surprise and eye him with raised eyebrows. “You’ve never loved anyone before?”
“I love my family. I’ve only ever said those words to them. I’ve never been in love. Not until you.”
My heart swells in size, threatening to break through my ribs. Tears burn the back of my eyes, because this beautiful, perfect man loves me.
“I’ve never heard them from anyone but family before either. I’m a love virgin,” he says with a crooked grin.
A rogue tear escapes my eye as I try to smile at him. “You deserve to be loved.”
He wipes the tear with his thumb. “And you love me. I’m happy.”
I push him onto his back and climb on top of him. “Let me show just how much I do.”
A smile graces his perfect face, as he puts his arms behind his head. “Please do.”
I leave a trail of kisses down his chest, and across the ridges of his abs. I scoot down until I’m straddling his thighs, and bring my lips to the head of his cock. I tease him the way he teased me, kissing the length of him before licking a path from base to tip.
“Fuck,” he growls.
I take his hardening length in my hand, stroking the velvety soft skin. I watch as he continues to grow in size with each pump of my hand. When I spot a drop of pre-cum leaking from the tip, I flatten my tongue and lick it up.
“Oh God,” he moans, throwing his head back.
I wrap my lips around his cock and slowly take him as deep as I can. His varying string of cuss words give me affirmation that I’m doing a good job. I switch between stroking and sucking, sometimes releasing him completely so I can lick the underside of his shaft until I reach his balls. I cup them in one hand as I stroke him with the other. I lick around the head of his cock before swallowing him deep into my mouth.
“Jesus Christ, London,” he pants, fisting the covers.
I pick up the pace, tugging on his hard flesh while my mouth covers his tip. I feel myself getting wet, and while I want to climb on top of him and grind until I come, I also want to bring him to completion with my hand and mouth, like he did for me.
His thighs flex beneath me, and I glance up, noticing his head back, eyes closed, stomach tight, and fists clenched. He’s close.
My mouth follows my fist, going up and down over his length. I moan around him, and then he grunts. “I’m gonna come.”
I keep going, and soon, the warm splash of his cum hits my tongue.
“Shit,” he curses, his body jerking.
I keep stroking him, making sure I get every drop. Once his body is done convulsing, I slowly pull him from my mouth while I swallow down everything he gave me.
“Holy shit,” he pants.
I climb up his body and nuzzle into his neck, my body still covering his. He moves his thigh and I know he can feel how wet I am.
“Worth the wait,” he says. “I knew that mouth would be magical.”
I laugh and press a kiss against his neck. “You’re crazy.”
He presses his thigh against my wet pussy again. “And you’re soaked. Give me a minute and I’ll take care of you.”
We both laugh and end up falling asleep, completely worn out. Hours later, I’m woken up by Royce’s mouth pressing against my clit and the sun coming up over the horizon. It’s the way I want to wake up for the rest of my life.
It’s been two months since London and I got together, and today is the fourth of July, so we’re gearing up for another bonfire at my house.
“What’re we getting again?” she asks, slipping into one of the barstools as I rummage behind the bar.
“Well, Lennox said he found something for me. He left it here somewhere.”
The bar is closed for the holiday, so I came by to grab the gift I had Lennox pick up for London. It was hard to come across, but since she finished the bottle she’d had for the last year, I knew she’d want another. They’re pretty rare, and fairly pricey, but Lennox has connections with the suppliers, and he was able to get his hands on one.
“We gonna make it back to your place on time?”
“I’m sure we will. If not, I’m sure they won’t miss us.”
I find the black bag, take a glimpse inside, and then stand up and set it in front of her.
“What’s this?” she questions, reaching for the bag with a smile.
“A surprise. Open it.”
She reaches in and pulls out the blue box. Gold writing lets her know it’s a Johnnie Walker Blue Label. “Oh my gosh!” she squeals, hugging the box against her chest.
I chuckle. “Figured you’d be happy.”
“Yes! I’ll cherish this for the next year or so. I only drink it in baby amounts every so often.”
“So you don’t want to take it to the party?” I joke.
She cuts her eyes at me. “Yeah right.”
“Will you share with me?” I ask, lifting a brow.
“I’ll let you have one shot.”
“Just one?”
“Maybe two,” she amends, giving me a cheeky grin.
“Can I have one now?”
“Right now?”
I nod.
“So, I guess I’ll be driving to your house,” she says with a laugh.
After she opens the box—as delicately as possible as to not ruin it—I take the bottle and open it up.
“But I want it to be a body shot.”
She twists her mouth at me. “I knew you were up to something.”
“What? I’m still sad you never let me do it before.” I give her a pout.
“Fine.”
“Lay up here,” I state, patting the bar.
She studies me with a flirty smile and bats her long lashes at me. “Reminds me of a particular night, Mr. Kingston.
“Mm,” I murmur, pouring the amber liquid into a shot glass.
She lies across the bar and I lift her shirt so I can see her stomach. I lean down and lick a small patch of skin above her belly button, then sprinkle some salt over the wetness.
Her stomach quivers, and I place a wedge of lime between her lips. I lick the salt from her stomach, swallow the liquid, then lean over her face and capture the lime between my teeth.
“Is the door locked?” she asks.
I nod, removing the lime from my mouth and grinning down at her. She reaches for me and pulls me closer, then licks the taste of whiskey from my mouth. We end up showing up to the Fourth of July party really late.
On Sunday, July fifth, London and I climb into my dad’s pickup truck and drive around the small town of Gaspar. We’ve decided to adopt my parents’ tradition, and I couldn’t be happier to do so. During the drive, we hold hands, and I tell her stories about my parents while she tells me stories about her dad. We’re keeping them alive through our memories, making sure we never forget the amazing times we had together.
And every Sunday evening, London joins me and my brothers for dinner, making Sunday my favorite day of the week.
“Mom, you’re sure you don’t want me to stay? We can order in some pizza and watch movies.”
“I’m positive,” she answers with a smile. “I’ll probably enjoy a nice bubble bath and r
ead some of the book I brought with me.”
My mom arrived back in Gaspar three days ago. She’s met Royce already and absolutely adores him. He invited her to go to dinner with us tonight, but she politely declined. She did, however, insist we keep our plans.
“Well, I won’t stay long.”
She waves me off. “Please, I’ll be fine. You go have fun.”
It’s been a couple months since we made amends over the phone, but we made a point to speak weekly after that, and now that she’s here, our relationship is almost back to normal. It’s going to take a little while to get back to what it was before, but I’m enjoying time with my mom since I don’t know how much longer I have.
She’s a healthy fifty-eight-year old woman, but life is harsh, and things can happen in the blink of an eye. I refuse to have any more regrets in life.
The doorbell rings, alerting us of Royce’s arrival. When I pull open the door, he stands there with a bouquet of flowers and a crooked grin. He takes my breath away.
“Hey.”
“Hey, Sunshine.”
Royce steps in and places a hand on my waist and gives me a quick kiss. “Your mom here?”
“In here,” Mom chirps from the kitchen.
I close the door and Royce presents my mom with the flowers. “For you, Ms. Monroe.”
Mom blushes. “Me?” She pats her shoulder length blond hair, making sure it’s in place. “That’s sweet, Royce. Thank you. And you can call me Lana.”
She takes the bouquet and leans in to take a whiff. Royce glances over his shoulder at me and winks. Always the charmer.
“You sure you won’t join us?” he asks her.
“Oh, you’re too kind. I’ll be fine.”
I move past them to find a vase under my sink. “Here, Mom.”
“I was actually thinking of calling up an old friend,” she says, filling the vase with water. “You two have fun.”
“All right. Well, call me if you need anything,” I say, grabbing my purse from the counter.
“Will do.” She gives us a parting smile.
Royce opens the passenger door for me, and soon we’re arriving at Elijah’s for Sunday dinner.
“Cill’s actually early this time,” he says as he pulls in behind Cillian’s motorcycle.
When we enter the house, Sugarfoot comes to greet me. “Hey,” I say in a high-pitched voice reserved for animals. “Hey, sweetheart.” I scratch behind his ears and run my hand over his fluffy back. “You’re just the cutest, aren’t you?”
“Aww. Thanks, Lo,” Cill says, coming to a stop behind Sugarfoot.
Royce shoves his shoulder as he moves past him, and I playfully roll my eyes. “What’s for dinner tonight?”
“Enchiladas and tacos.”
“Yum.”
I stand up and walk toward the kitchen with Sugarfoot trailing behind.
“Food’s done,” Elijah states when we walk in. “Serve yourselves.”
Sunday dinner is something I’ve come to look forward to. We always have a good time at the table, and the Kingston brothers have always made me feel like a part of the family.
At the table, Royce reaches over and grabs my hand before bringing it to his mouth and placing a kiss on my knuckles. He doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t have to. He’s just happy to have me here by his side.
I mouth I love you to him and he beams before leaning in and planting a kiss on my lips.
“I love you more.”
The Secrets That We Keep
WAR
Resurrecting Phoenix
Think Again
Darkness Within
The Escort Series
Living in Sin
Unforgivable Sin
Sins & Mistrust
Sinfully Ever After
Well, let me start off by telling you guys a little bit about this book. There’s so much hidden within the pages that I’ve taken from my own life. The town they live in, Gaspar, is actually my dad’s middle name. Some of you might be aware that he passed away last year, and I wanted to honor him in some way. He was always supportive about my writing career, and beyond proud. Although, the way London’s dad died wasn’t exactly the same as the way my dad died, it was similar. I flew across the ocean to get to my dad, and was able to spend a week with him before he passed. I hadn’t seen him in over four years, because we had been living in Guam, but I’m grateful for the small amount of time I got.
Nae’s Gourmet Coffee Shop, Flaky Vicki’s, Ms. Nordine, Victor and his specialty soda shop, Doreen and The Teacup, and Justin, are all people in my life. My daughter, sister, Mom, Dad, and son. Lennox is the name of the last dog me and my husband got, and Chloe is the name of the first dog we ever got.
The stories the brothers told around the table are things my kids have done. Not all of them! Mostly the burning of grilled cheese, and fire stories. Some were things I did as a teen. (Cough-bonfire-cough) In my small town, the circle of trees was a real thing, and people went out there all the time. The breathalyzer story was actually told to us, and we really did put pennies in our mouths. Haha!
Hunter is loosely based on an old boyfriend. Yeah. Similar traits, friends, and experiences. I’m very happy I found my husband!
Okay, onto the thanks.
This book was written while my husband was deployed, so he wasn’t around to be my usual sounding board. However, that didn’t stop him from being there for me. I was able to talk and text him, and pose some questions or just ramble on. So, here’s to you, babe! Thanks for everything. You’re my best friend, my partner-in-crime, my biggest supporter, and everything in between. You make it easy to write romance, because we have the best story. Thanks for being my muse.
I have to thank my kids, because without them, this book wouldn’t have been written. My two older kids watched my baby for me a little bit each day so I could get some words out. Thanks, babies!! (Hopefully you don’t read this until you’re much older)
I want to thank Kizzy for always being there to read everything I write. I can’t thank you enough! I’m so happy I can call you a friend, and super grateful you came to visit while my husband was away. Thanks for your advice and questions about the story and characters. You make everything turn out a little better, and thanks for the numerous voice clip conversations about the brothers and future books. I love talking things out with you!
Lindsey, gah! You’re the fastest beta reader known to man, and I appreciate it so much! Haha. I’m always on pins and needles, waiting to hear back, and you never let me down. Thanks for your excitement and opinions. I appreciate you so much.
Luisa and Megan, thanks for your time and thoughts! I loved having you guys as beta readers! Charliene, I can’t thank you enough for talking through some of the scenes with me, and letting me work out how I wanted things to go. You helped more than you know.
Courtney, Leanna, and Melissa, thanks for being my round two betas! I appreciate your time so much. Sorry for not getting more in depth, but I’m writing these as you’re still reading. Haha.
Robin! You create masterpieces every time. Thanks for all the work you do. The teasers and countdown images are to die for as well. Thank you, thank you!!
Kay, this was my first time working with you, but I’m beyond grateful. I learned so much thanks to you, and look forward to working together again.
Stacey, I appreciate your time and dedication to making the interior of my book look the best that it can.
To Neda, thanks for working with me on this book and setting everything up for the cover reveal and tour. I appreciate all the time and work you put into these important things.
Bloggers and readers, thank you for everything! The shares, the reviews, the words of encouragement and excitement. I appreciate you all so much. I know there’s a lot of books out in the world, but thank you for choosing mine to read. I hope you enjoyed.
Isabel Lucero is a bestselling author, finding joy in giving readers books for every mood.
Born in
a small town in New Mexico, Isabel was lucky enough to escape and travel the world thanks to her husband’s career in the Air Force. Her and her husband have three kids and two dogs together, and currently reside in Delaware. When Isabel isn’t on mommy duty or writing her next book, she can be found reading, or in the nearest Target buying things she doesn’t need.
Isabel loves connecting with her readers and fans of books in general. You can keep in touch at the following places.
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