“The woman you're talking about like that is going to be your sister-in-law. The mother of your nieces and nephews.”
“I’m sending Doc Allister out there. I knew retirement would fuck with your head. Men like us need to stay busy. You’re obviously having some sort of psychotic break.”
“Why? Is it so we don’t have time to think about how we have nothing more than our careers?” I’ve lived that life for far too long already. But for me it wasn’t because I was addicted to work but that I was biding my time until I could find Willow again. I may not have known it at the time, but I do now.
“Don’t sell me that bullshit. You’ve saved lives with your—”
“I found her,” I say, cutting him off, not needing my ego stroked. He’s silent for a long time.
“I was sure you dreamed her up.” He lets out a long breath. He doesn’t even have to ask me who.
“I’d begun to wonder myself,” I admit.
“As clean as her background check came out, I still don’t see why you have to jump into this so quickly. You don’t know this girl. You met her once years ago.” I married her once years ago, and I plan on doing it again as soon as she lets me, I think to myself.
“Brother or not, Kenton, if you go digging into Willow again, we’ll have big fucking problems. I’m going to let you have this one because I know you worry, and it will give you peace of mind. Don’t do that shit again.”
“I’m coming out there.”
“Don’t bother. I didn't ask for your advice. I asked you to do your job. I don’t want to see your face until the wedding.” I end the call, tossing my phone back onto the desk. I knew he was going to be this way. For as long as I can remember he’s had a chip on his shoulder. The only good thing that has ever come from it was me meeting Willow. I wouldn’t have ever met her if he hadn’t gotten into that fight on the ice that day. So I do have to be grateful in some sense for his short fuse.
“Miss me?” Willow glides into my office with a smile on her face. I’ve never met someone who smiles as much as her. It’s infectious.
“Of course.” I pull her down into my lap, burying my face in her hair.
“So.” She plays with the buttons on my shirt. “Tomorrow is Amethyst’s bachelorette party.” I close my eyes. I’ve been dreading this. “I know you’re still worried about this stalker thing, but it’s in public and also at the bar Big works at so it will be super safe.”
“You know I can’t tell you no.” I kiss her neck. As much as I want to say no, I know I can’t keep her in a bubble. She’ll begin to resent me. Her parents did that to her already. Doesn't mean that I won’t be somewhere close by though.
She shifts on my lap until she’s straddling me. My hands go to her hips. When her tongue comes out to wet her bottom lip, I know she’s turned on. I pull her down for a kiss. She presses her pussy into my cock.
“You didn't let me return the favor this morning.” Her bottom lip forms into a pout.
“If I recall you passed out,” I say with a chuckle.
She rolls her eyes. “I’m awake now.” She slips off my lap, going down to her knees. I lean back, letting Willow do as she pleases. We’ve both gotten to know each other’s bodies well.
I groan when she wraps her mouth around my cock. I grip the armrest of my chair, wanting to thrust up into her mouth.
“Take the dress off, baby. I want to see you.” Without hesitation, she releases my cock from her mouth, pulling her dress off. “No panties?” She smirks. “You’ve become quite the naughty girl.”
“You bring it out of me.” I slide my foot between her knees, making her spread her thighs wide. My mouth waters when I see how fucking wet she is from sucking my cock.
“Touch yourself while you get me off,” I demand. She slips her hand between her thighs as she takes me into her mouth again. I scoop her hair up, wanting to see her face as she sucks my cock in and out of her mouth.
I groan when my cock touches the back of her throat. She lets out a whimper, and I know she’s getting close to orgasm. I can already feel my balls drawing up tight.
“Are you going to come with me?” I grit out. She moans her response. I grip her hair tighter, spilling my release down her throat. She doesn't stop sucking me. She drinks every drop as she moans, finding her own release.
I reach down, lifting her into my arms. My mouth finds hers. I kiss her deeply. “How did I ever find something as precious as you?” She blushes, ducking her head. “That makes you blush?” She shrugs.
“I feel just as lucky. I think you’re my good for all the bad I had to deal with in my life when I was young. Now I get the perfect man who is going to give me a fairy tale.” Fuck me.
“That’s what I want too, baby. To give you everything you could ever want and more.” She wraps her arms around me, and I vow that I will live up to that promise. The same way I vowed all those years ago to be her husband.
12
Willow
Lennon slows his descent down the stairs when he sees me standing in the entryway. “You like?” I do a small twirl. The dress I picked out for tonight is adorable. The top is fitted with soft pink jewels. The bottom is made of tulle that flares out and ends a few inches above my knees.
“You better have panties on,” he warns, coming the rest of the way down the stairs to kiss me. His hand slips up my dress. He finds out the answer to his own question. Of course I’m wearing panties today. I’m leaving the house to hang out with the girls. “You look so fucking innocent and sexy,” he says against my mouth.
“Well, maybe tonight when I get home you can do something about my innocence.” I nip his bottom lip. We’ve yet to go all the way. As much as I’m ready to, I'm also enjoying taking it slow and the time we get to spend together. I love the thrill I get from our makeout sessions and all the little things I missed growing up, but I think the time has finally come. I can see the hunger in Lennon’s eyes, but he’ll never push. So I’m going to have to nudge us in that direction. I admire his self-control, and it lets me know that he’ll always put me first.
“We’ll see about that, but for now”—he backs me up until my back hits the wall—“hold the dress up,” he orders me. I reach down and pull it up. I watch as he undoes his belt, pulling his cock out. My body instantly heats. “Going to mark you.”
I don’t know what he means, but I watch as he pulls my panties to the side, and he starts to jack himself off. Watching him get so worked up from looking at me always drives me crazy.
“You’re going to feel me all over you all night.” I let out a small moan at his filthy words. “You want that?”
“Yes. Please,” I beg. He groans as his cum sprays against my sex. The sight has my clit throbbing. I'm already on edge. “Lennon. Please.”
“Got you.” His finger finds my clit as he rubs his release into me and strokes me at the same time. I cry out his name as I come. We both lean against the wall, out of breath.
He reaches down, sliding my panties back into place before he helps me lower my dress. I watch him right his own clothes. I don’t think anyone knows this dirty side of Lennon, and I love that. It’s like our own little secret. He always tells me that it’s me that pulls it out of him because I’m a tease. I think he may be right.
“Let’s do this before I change my mind. Do you want to drive to town?”
“I’m good for today.” I laugh. I’m not a fan of driving. I’ve had a few lessons, but I’d rather not drive unless I have to. Lennon doesn't seem to care and is always willing to take me anywhere I need to go. I’m sure over time I’ll learn more and feel more comfortable.
The closer we get to the bar, the more tense Lennon gets. I reach over and rest my hand on his thigh. He picks it up and kisses it. He pulls into an open spot in the front. I lean over and kiss him. He cups my face and deepens the kiss.
“Keep your phone on you.”
“Promise.” I slip out of the car. I give him a wave before I head into the small bar. I s
pot Amethyst and Glory in a back corner table with a few other girls. I have to admit that I’m pretty excited to be going to a bachelorette party. I’ve never been to one before, but I’m looking forward to hanging out. Growing up, I didn’t get to experience a lot of girl time with friends.
“You’ve been MIA.” Amethyst hugs me. “You look hot.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me.
“Are you avoiding me?” Glory asks, cocking her head to the side.
“No, I’ve just been kinda falling in love. I’m sure you can understand that.” She softens. I know she’s just being tough on Lennon because she cares. She’s the mama bear of the group. Always looking out for all of our best interests, making sure no one steps out of line with us or tries to take advantage of any of us.
“All right.” She pulls me in for a hug before she shouts for a round of drinks. I nurse some kind of frozen drink, not really liking the taste of alcohol.
“We should dance!” Amethyst pulls us on to the dance floor. The bar is actually pretty dead tonight. It’s a Tuesday, and I think that might have been the point of having it tonight. I dance with the girls until my feet start to ache. I don’t know how Amethyst does it in those heels all night. I swear she acts as though she has on her favorite pair of sneakers.
“You got a second?” Glory snags me by the arm as I head back toward the table.
“Sure.” I grab my phone and follow her off to the side. I think she’s going to tell me about some plan for Amethyst, but instead she lays a bomb on me.
“I’ve been digging. Don’t look so surprised. You knew this was coming.” I take a deep breath and resign myself to listen to whatever she has to say. “I have to be honest, Lennon Carver is my number one suspect in the destruction of your place.” I roll my eyes. “Hear me out. He’s had men around here asking questions, and I don’t mean just recently. I mean before you ever met the man. It’s no coincidence that all of them pertained to you.”
I don’t know what to make of that, but I really don’t care. “I was with him that night, Glory. In the same bed. The man doesn't need to stalk me. I pretty much jumped him.”
“But you fell asleep. He could have snuck out in the middle of the night.”
“Why?” I shake my head.
“He got you back to his place living with him two seconds later.”
“And I love living with him.”
Glory grabs my hand, her face softening. “I see you’re falling for this man. I get that, but there’s more. I went to Syn City last week. I wanted to see if he’s been digging around about your past there too. I may have bribed a security guard at the hospital. Don’t judge me. You’re my best friend, and I’d do anything for you. And it just so happens that it paid off. I found out that Lennon made a giant donation a week before he conveniently ran into you.” She made air quotes when she said the word ran, as though she didn’t believe it was a random run-in and that Lennon had planned it.
“He made a donation to a hospital. You realize that's all the man does? You’re the one that asked me to go to an event he is putting on for charity. How does any of this make him the prime suspect in your book? None of it is out of character.” I laugh. This is crazy.
“He paid to get information on you.” She has my attention now.
“What? Why?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I haven't said anything. I don’t get it either, but he’s been sniffing around about you. I’ve got more stuff I can show you.” I shake my head.
“I need a minute.” I pull my hand out of hers. “Don’t follow me. I need a minute alone.”
“I’m sorry. Okay.” She backs off as I push into the bathroom. I look down at my phone and see a text from Lennon, making me smile. Why would he be looking into me before he met me? There really is no reason.
Lennon: Miss you.
Me: I miss you too.
Me: Can I ask you something?
Lennon: Anything
Me: Is there a reason Glory thinks you’re stalking me? She seems to think you came looking for me. That our meeting wasn’t by chance.
Lennon: Been looking for you most of my life.
Okay. That’s a good answer, but it didn’t answer my question.
Me: That’s sweet but I need you to answer my question so I can tell Glory to stick it. She’s talking crazy about you digging into my past and something about money being exchanged in the form of a donation in order to get access to medical records.
My phone rings a second later.
“Hey,” I answer, wanting to hear his explanation.
“There are things I need to tell you.” That sounds as bad as We need to talk. Still for some reason I’m not worried. I can’t fathom Lennon doing anything to hurt me. Then again, he is a little obsessed with me. But I love that about him. It makes me feel special.
“You’re scaring me.”
“I don’t want to do this over the phone.” Nerves start to bubble up in my stomach.
“Too bad. We’ve been together for weeks,” I remind him. “Please. You’re scaring me,” I plead with him, just wanting to know what the heck it is that he needs to tell me.
“We’ve met before. A long time ago.” I shake my head. I think I’d remember that. “You asked me to marry you.” I gasp in shock. My phone slips out of my hand, hitting the ground. My eyes fill with tears. How is this possible?
I bend down, picking it up. The screen is black. Lennon. It doesn’t matter. I need to see him right now. I push out of the bathroom to go find Glory to use her phone.
A hand comes down over my mouth and another around my waist. I scream, trying to fight. My feet leave the ground as I’m pulled out a back door.
“Stop fighting, bitch.” Yeah. I’ll get right on that. I jerk my head to the side, his hand slipping partly off my mouth. I bite down as hard as I can. He screams, letting me go. I hit the ground, the air leaving my lungs. “You’ll pay for that.” I look up as the man charges back toward me. He pulls his foot back, and I cover my face before he can kick me.
A loud crash has me dropping my hands. I open my eyes to see Lennon leaning over the man, who is wearing a mask. He pulls it off. “Motherfucker,” Lennon says before he lands a blow.
I sit up, not sure what to do. “Willow!” Glory runs out, helping me to my feet.
“He’s down. It’s murder at this point.” Big pulls Lennon back from the guy. I hear the girls asking me if I’m okay, but all of my attention is on Lennon. He turns my way. I do the only thing I can think of. I run, jumping into his arms. He catches me. I bury my face in his neck as I burst into tears.
13
Lennon
Willow clings to me. Thank fuck she doesn’t want to let me go because I’m not sure I could. She is the only thing keeping me sane. Fear like I’ve never known before took up residence in me when I saw Willow being dragged out the back door of The Tipsy Cow.
Thank fuck I had already been close by, not loving the idea of her being out while whoever was responsible for breaking into her apartment was still on the loose. Not to mention that I have this need to always be close to her. A fear that I’m going to wake up from a dream and I’d never actually found her. To go back into the dark place I’ve been over the last year thinking I would never find her.
When the line went dead I knew I had to get to her. There was no stopping me. I was already moving before I could think about it. I rushed into the bar, not caring I wasn’t supposed to be there. This was bigger than anything else. I didn't care that it was a bachelorette party. She is the most important person in my life, and I wasn’t about to risk losing her.
“Can we go home yet?” she whispers against my neck. We’ve all given our statements multiple times. As I thought, it was Jeremy Holmes. He’s wanted in a few states. When I’m done pulling some strings, he’ll never see the light of day again.
“Willow.” Her friend Glory stands next to the bed of the truck I’m sitting in with Willow tucked close. “I’m sorry. I just worry about you.”
“You guys should come over for dinner next week,” I suggest.
“We’d like that,” Willow says softly in agreement. Glory leans in, giving her a hug. When she releases her, Willow turns her head my way, her eyes meeting mine.
“Can we go now? I’d like to do something about your hands.” She runs her fingers along my knuckles. They're not bleeding anymore, but they’re torn up a bit from the beat-down I gave that asshole before the authorities showed up.
“They're fine,” I try to reassure her. Her eyebrows furrow, and for the first time I think Willow looks angry. I have to say she looks damn cute when she’s mad.
“I will tell you if they are fine after I look at them.” She wiggles and I let her slip off my lap to get to her feet. I do the same, trying to fight a smile because it’s really not the time.
They try to stop us as we head toward my vehicle, but we keep walking. I’m not asking if we are free to go. We are done. We’ve given our statements. If they need anything else, they can either take me in and arrest me or call my lawyer. They of course had to let us go.
The closer we get to being home, the more tension fades out of Willow’s body. I’m calmer knowing that she’s safe now, but still I’m waiting for her to start asking more questions. She has to be pissed. She hung up on me when I told her the truth. When I let her know how long I’ve known her. That my love for her might be a little darker than she could have ever imagined.
“Let me get it,” I order as we roll into the garage and I shut the door behind us. My control is not at its best at the moment. She starts to say something, and I give her a look. Her tongue darts out to wet her bottom lip, which does nothing to help my self-control.
209 Wedding Lane Page 6
