Wicked Games: The Complete Wicked Games Series Box Set
Page 31
Possibilities spin madly inside my head. The future is suddenly so much brighter, so much more full, than it was merely a few minutes ago. “But your political career, your run for Congress. The tabloids will go crazy—”
Parker laughs. “That was over before it even began. I abandoned everything else when I started to search for you. I’ve been living in Mexico full-time for the past few months so I could concentrate on finding you.” When he sees my look of distress, he’s quick to add, “Because I finally got my priorities straight. Opening two new restaurants a year, dating a different girl every week, aspiring to political office… That was all driven by emptiness. I was trying to distract myself from loneliness and self-loathing, I know that now. I didn’t give up anything that really mattered, and you didn’t ruin my life by leaving, okay?”
His words are emphatic and ring with truth. I feel a little relieved, until something else occurs to me. “She’ll want to know why we gave her up for adoption.”
There’s a shrug in his voice. “Because we were teenagers. We wanted her to have a better life than we could give her.”
“But—”
Parker silences me with a kiss. “We’ll figure it out as we go. Nothing’s set in stone. We have a few years to figure out logistics, if that’s even what Eva ultimately decides she wants to do. When the time comes, we can reach out to her through the adoption agency to arrange a meeting and see how she responds. Okay?”
Shaking, I lower my head to his chest. “Okay.”
We’re quiet forever, listening to the sounds of the night, until finally I take a deep breath and whisper, “So what happens now?”
Parker lifts my head. He sweeps his thumbs over my cheeks. He looks at me in silence until, almost imperceptibly, a smile begins to curve his lips.
“Now I think I should produce that ring I promised you.”
I should probably go get my medicine from the bathroom. What’s happening to my heart doesn’t seem quite normal.
I say, “Threatened me with, I think you mean.”
“Yes. Excuse me. And before you say no, I need to tell you that it’s a ten-carat flawless stone, round brilliant cut, with tapered baguette side stones in a platinum setting. It’s quite impressive, even by your standards. It cost more than your Rolls-Royce.”
My laugh is feeble. “Only ten carats? How miniscule. Tiffany?”
“Cartier.”
“Ah. Well. In any case, this might be a good time to mention that I’ve already told you I’m not ready for an institution.”
Parker’s smile is not one of a man who thinks his proposal has just been refused.
“Fair enough. I’ll ask again in the morning. Things always seem better in the morning.”
“Oh, really? Does this mean you’re inviting yourself to spend the night? Whatever will we do with ourselves?”
His lids drop, and his voice comes out husky. “Well, I could try to make you see the true face of God.”
My heartbeat, which had settled down to more reasonable levels, immediately skyrockets into the stratosphere again. “Now you’re talking, Mr. Maxwell.”
“I’m glad you agree, my beautiful Bel.”
Before I can start to cry again, Parker kisses me hard, swallowing the sob of joy rising from my throat.
Our clothes come off with such speed, it’s almost magic. We fall on each other in desperation, clutching and moaning, stroking and sighing, our mouths as greedy as our hands. Months of separation are erased in an instant.
Just as Parker is about to slide inside me, a loud, screeching howl brings us both to a stop.
Sitting in the bedroom doorway, Perdón glares at us in disgust.
“Shut up or I’ll make a rug out of you, buddy,” Parker pants, craning his head over his shoulder.
I take his face in my hands and turn it back to mine. I kiss him, putting every atom of my heart and soul into it, and then murmur, “I think you can focus for a few minutes, love.”
Hearing that word on my lips makes Parker’s eyes come alive. He gazes at me in adoration. A smile tugs at one corner of his mouth.
I add, “I mean, if I have to ignore that flaccid cowlick under your nose every time you kiss me, you can certainly ignore my cat.”
“Flaccid? Oh, you’re gonna pay for that,” he breathes, flexing his hips.
I feel him between my legs, hot and hard, and my laugh is throaty. “Promises, promises,” I reply, and pull his head down to kiss him voraciously once more.
Rule #9 and the most important one of all: Life is short, bitch. Do what makes you happy.
Epilogue
A few years later
“It’s going to be fine, baby.”
I stare out the window, watching houses and trees and cars flash by in the bright spring day, seeing nothing. “I know.”
Parker reaches over and squeezes my hand. “You don’t look like you know.”
I gulp a few deep breaths, trying to slow my heartbeat. I squeeze Parker’s hand so hard, he chuckles.
“Sweetheart.”
I look over at him in the driver’s seat. He’s smiling. His eyes are wonderfully soft. “I promise you, it’s going to be fine. Okay?”
My brow furrows. In a tiny voice, I say, “But what if it isn’t?”
He says firmly, “It will be.”
“Think of everything that could go wrong!”
He shakes his head. “Think of everything that could go right.”
I drop my gaze to our joined hands, to the diamond glittering on my ring finger, and say a silent prayer that he knows what he’s talking about. Because at the moment, I’m about as stable as a lit stick of dynamite with a short fuse. A slight change in the wind could set me off.
In what I know is an effort to distract me, Parker switches on the radio. Ranchero music fills the cab of the truck. It’s a big, macho black Chevy that Parker bought after moving permanently to Mexico with me. His beloved Porsches couldn’t handle the country roads, so he made up for losing speed and performance by gaining burly engine noise, terrible MPG, and tires so big they look like they belong on earth-moving equipment.
Perdn takes every available opportunity to pee on them. I don’t think he’s quite yet adjusted to having another male around.
To cover my anxiety, I ask Parker how Tabby’s doing. He spoke to her last night on the phone after I was in bed. As he does every time her name is mentioned, he laughs.
“Did you know that Hello Kitty’s real name is Kitty White, she’s a Scorpio, and that she loves apple pie?”
“Oh dear God.”
“And she has a twin sister named Mimmy. Apparently she also lives outside London. All of which I know because Tabby attended the Hello Kitty retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art in LA.”
I stare at him. “You’re making that up.”
Grinning, he lifts a hand in the air. “Hand to God, I’m telling the truth. It seems our beloved Tabitha isn’t the only person with an unhealthy obsession with this particular cartoon character. She said the opening was mobbed.”
I try to picture thousands of Tabby look-alikes swarming through a museum filled with Hello Kitty memorabilia, and fail. “I wish I could’ve seen that.”
Parker pulls his phone from his shirt pocket and hands it to me. “Check out her Instagram account. Though I warn you, prolonged viewing might make your eyes bleed.”
I take his phone, open the app, and navigate to Tabby’s page. Within moments, I’m laughing out loud. “How did she convince Darcy and Kai to go with her?”
“Well, apparently Ms. LaFontaine couldn’t pass up the opportunity to blog about the food at the event—which included such culinary delights as petit fours with Hello Kitty’s face on them and ten-dollar donuts with a frosted pink bow—and as Darcy’s fiancé refuses to go anywhere without her, Kai tagged along.”
Thinking of Darcy and Kai, I can’t help but smile. “That wedding is going to be outrageous.”
Judging by the invitation alone,
whose first line read, “Shit just got real.”
Of course I won’t be attending, but they’re honeymooning in Acapulco, and we’ve made plans to see each other then.
We’ve been extraordinarily careful in our communications, relying on Tabby’s genius with technology to ensure nothing can be traced. Not that we think anyone’s looking, but the cryptophones we’re using ensure there wouldn’t be anything to find if they were. She’s going to meet us into Acapulco too, and I can’t wait to see all of them. I can’t wait to tell them about today.
If I get through it. I haven’t been this terrified in years. Maybe ever.
The truck slows and then pulls to a stop. When Parker says quietly, “We’re here,” my heart jumps into my throat. I set the phone on the seat and look outside.
We’re parked at a curb on a lovely, tree-lined street. The lawns are green and the lots are large. This is the good part of Laredo. The house I’m staring in terror at is a pretty two-story flanked by a pair of big weeping willows. Yellow rosebushes in full bloom line the brick path that leads to the front door.
“Baby.”
Wide-eyed and trembling, I look at Parker. He reaches out and caresses my cheek.
“She’s gonna love you.”
My hands shake. My stomach churns. I’m having trouble catching my breath. “What if she doesn’t?”
His smile warms me straight through. “How could she not?”
He leans over, gives me a quick kiss, and then exits the truck. He comes over to my side and opens my door, holding out a hand. He steadies me as I wobble getting out.
“Easy, tiger,” he murmurs, pulling me against his side. “Take a few deep breaths.”
Breathing is something that has suddenly become quite challenging. As is staying upright Thank God for Parker’s calming strength, because without his support, I’m not entirely sure I could remain standing.
“We’re breathing,” he gently reminds me when I remain frozen and breathless.
“Right. Deep breaths. Here we go.”
My exaggerated inhalation and exhalation make Parker chuckle. “Okay. It’s a start. Let me know when you’re ready.”
I close my eyes, take a few more breaths, and then nod. “Let’s do this.”
He presses a kiss to my temple. “That’s my girl,” he whispers. He closes the door, turns, and leads me up the brick path with his arm firmly around my shoulders.
He rings the doorbell.
When I hear a faint female voice from inside excitedly call, “I’ll get it, Mom!” I nearly faint.
“Breathing,” Parker murmurs.
The door flies open. In it stands a stunning young woman. She has long, honey-blonde hair, hazel eyes, and dimples that are on full display because she’s grinning.
She looks so much like her father, I’m breathless all over again.
“Hi!” She sticks out her hand. “I’m Eva. And you must be Isabel.”
Feeling as if I’m in a dream, I take my daughter’s warm hand in mine, and shake it.
“Yes,” I hear myself say. “I’m Isabel. And it’s…so nice to finally meet you.”
Eva’s grin grows even wider. She turns to Parker. “And you’re Parker.”
They shake hands, grinning at each other with identical smiles, and I suddenly know, with bone-deep conviction, that Parker was wrong.
Everything isn’t going to be fine.
It’s going to be flat-out amazing.
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed Wicked Beautiful. If you’d like to be notified of my new releases, please join my mailing list.
Acknowledgments
The “bitch” definition in chapter one was adapted from Wikipedia. And now for the thank yous:
This book would not have been possible without the slightly befuddled yet unwavering support of my best friend, Jay, who I’ve spent the last twenty years causing trouble with and also happen to be married to. There is no greater gift for a woman than a man who loves and accepts her, warts and all. I’m truly fortunate.
Big thanks to my beta readers, Donna, Kimber, Zita, Louise, and Yida, who generously volunteered their time to slog through the early version and provide helpful feedback. Thank you to Shannon and Scott of SS Media Co. for partnering with me for over ten years on my various websites.
Thanks to my brilliant cover designer, Letitia Hasser, for working so hard on my covers and creating such beautiful work.
Thank you to Geissinger’s Gang, my Facebook reader group, for supporting my books so enthusiastically, and for being a fun, safe group I can bounce my crazy ideas off.
Finally I’d like to thank my parents for instilling in me a love of books and reading, and for always being there for me. I love you. And my mother gets credit for being the creator of the Bitch’s Motto: After me, you come first. I heard that a lot when I was growing up. Mostly, I think she was kidding.
Wicked Sexy
Wicked Games Book Two
Wicked Sexy
By
J.T. Geissinger
Contents
Wicked Beautiful
Wicked Beautiful
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Wicked Sexy
Wicked Sexy
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Wicked Intentions
Wicked Intentions
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33