Happily Ever After Collection

by Melanie Moreland

  She sighed and snuggled into my chest. “Learned your lesson?”

  I chuckled. “Which one, Wren? Not to tease you in the grocery store or not to flash my badge?”

  “Both?”

  “I can’t promise not to tease you, especially when you’re so sexy and adorable.” I sighed. “I’ll try to hold off on the flashing, though.”

  “Get them to back off harassing John. It’s over and done.”

  I pulled her closer, my voice betraying my sudden nervousness. “Jenny…”

  She frowned and pushed herself up on her elbow. “What is it?”

  “Tonight, did you ever consider—?” I couldn’t even finish my thought.

  Her eyes widened, and she cupped my face, holding it tight. “Why would you ask that?”

  I shrugged. “John could give you things I can’t, Jenny. He is a successful businessman. I’m just an underpaid cop and about to be an even poorer one once I go back to school. I can’t offer you the same things he could.”

  She exhaled. “All he gave me was a lot of lonely nights and the promise of being second best—if that. I don’t care about material stuff. I never did. So, the answer is no. Never. John is my past and not even a good part of it. You’re my present…and my future.”

  “Jenny?”

  She smiled, a heartwarming, lovely expression on her face. “I love you, Connor Michaels.”

  My heart hammered in my chest. I had told her how much I loved her many times over the past weeks we’d been together, but she had never said the words back to me. Every caring gesture, every sweet smile, each time we made love, I felt it, but I knew she wasn’t ready to say it yet. I had been waiting for the moment since our first day together.

  My breath caught in my throat.

  “Don’t ever doubt what you mean to me. I knew you were going to change my life, I just didn’t know how much. You’re my everything.”

  I pulled her to me and kissed her until we were breathless. “I adore you, Jenny Reynolds. I love how you ramble when you’re tipsy and make me want you all the time.” I teased her, but my voice was serious when I continued. “I love how you take care of me. I love you so much. And it just keeps getting stronger.” My fingers danced over her soft skin. “I want to wake up beside you in the morning and fall asleep beside you every night. Promise me I can.”

  Her eyes glowed. “Every day, Connor.”

  “Then, Jenny Wren, I have all I could ever want.”

  Connor

  “Does my hand feel good? Is it what you want?” Jenny’s voice hummed low in my ear.

  I groaned. “No, baby, I want your mouth.”

  “All you can have is my hand. Use it, Connor.”

  I growled as the movement picked up. I pressed my head against the pillows, the soft plush rising around my face. My hips arched off the bed.

  “Harder, Connor. More,” Jenny’s voice rasped.

  My hand sped up. “Are you close, Wren? Come with me,” I begged.

  “Now,” she whimpered. “Now.”

  I shouted out her name, panting and heaving, coming and coming before I was satisfied. My hand slowed and finally stopped as my body became boneless.

  Jenny’s voice was warm and distant in my ear. “Connor? You with me, baby?”

  I sighed as I found the phone. “Fuck, Jenny. That was amazing.” I blew out a big breath. “One hell of a wake-up call.”

  She laughed softly. “I aim to please.”

  I chuckled. “Please you did. How much have you had to drink tonight?”

  “One glass of wine.”

  I laughed. “More than one, I think. You wouldn’t be making dirty-talking, let’s-have-phone-sex calls on one glass of wine, my girl. Not that I’m complaining.”

  Her voice lowered as if she were telling me a secret. “Okay—maybe two or three. Got you going, though.”

  I looked down at the mess I had made. “You certainly did, and like I said, I’m not complaining—although I would rather have you here.”

  The tone of her voice suddenly turned serious. “I miss you, Connor.”

  I sat up in bed. “I miss you. But it’s only another seven days, and you’re home.”

  She sighed. “This trip came at a bad time.”

  She and Jackey were at a convention, then Jenny was going to see another friend that lived in the area. As pharmaceutical reps, they’d had the trip planned long before Jenny and I got together. As much as I missed her, I wanted her to have a good time and enjoy herself. She worked hard and deserved it. I knew she was looking forward to spending a few days with her old friend.

  “It’s fine. While I would’ve rather spent it with you, school is whipping my ass and I’m looking forward to the weekend, even though I’ll be hitting the books the whole time.”

  “Is that what you’re gonna do all weekend? Study?”

  “Well, I’ve got someone looking at my car tomorrow. And I have a bunch of errands to do, and then, yeah, I’ll be studying.”

  “Connor—”

  “Jenny, we discussed this. I have to sell it. I have to get rid of as much overhead as possible for the time being.”

  “You love that car.”

  “I’ll buy another when I’m done school and working again.” Wanting to make her smile, I tried teasing her. “You’ll have to be my chauffeur for a while. Be at my beck and call.”

  Her voice lightened. “I’ll happily be your beck-and-call girl.”

  “Excellent.”

  I walked back into the apartment building, frowning. The offer the guy made on my car was low. Way lower than I had hoped. It would barely cover what I still owed on the loan. Maybe Jenny was right and I should keep it, except I would still have to insure it and pay for gas. I felt like banging my head against the wall.

  While it was the right move for me, giving up a full-time job and going back to school was a scary and expensive proposition. Even more than I had realized, once I found out I didn’t qualify for some of the financial aid I’d thought I could get. I had thought I would work part-time, but I quickly realized that was not going to happen. I had to devote myself fully to the endeavor, which meant I had to make some changes I hadn’t planned. Jenny had been so supportive, even offering to loan me money, but I couldn’t take her offer. I had to do this on my own.

  I stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for my floor, hating the thought that kept floating through my head. A last resort, but one that, in the end, might be the only choice I had.

  Move.

  I could get a less expensive apartment and save money that way. If I sold my car and found a cheaper apartment, things would be tight, but manageable. I would have to stick to a strict budget, which didn’t bother me. What bothered me was the thought of not living next door to Jenny, but I could still see her.

  Just not as easily.

  “Hold the door!” a familiar voice shouted.

  I grabbed the door and was almost run down by a fast-moving pile of cardboard that barely missed slamming into me. “Hey!” I laughed when I saw Luc’s face behind the pile.

  “Shit. Sorry, Connor.”

  “What’s going on, man?”

  “I’m moving.”

  “Since when?”

  He grinned behind the boxes. “Since I got a great job offer in Vancouver. The only drawback is I gotta be there this week.”

  “Well, congrats. That’s great for you.”

  “It was all great until about an hour ago. I had a sublet for the apartment all set up, but it fell through. Joe’s girlfriend dumped him, and he decided he didn’t need a two-bedroom place. He wants a smaller one. So, I have to figure that out. I doubt I can find another person to sublet on such short notice. I may end up paying rent in two places for a while. But what am I gonna do?”

  I nodded in sympathy as the doors opened. Luc walked ahead of me, down the hall, balancing his boxes. I stopped at my door, and it hit me. I hurried down the hall after him.

  “Hey, Luc… Can I see your pl
ace?”

  Chapter 6

  Connor

  An hour later, I looked down at the papers in my hand. I checked and rechecked the math. This could work.

  Luc’s rent was only three hundred more than I paid now. If Jenny and I moved in to the larger two-bedroom together, we’d both save money every month, since she paid the same rent as I currently did. The new place overlooked the back garden, which she had mentioned before she liked, had two good-sized bedrooms, so we could use one as an office, and overall, it was bigger and more open. I also knew Jenny would love the kitchen. Luc had even had the place painted not long ago, so it was in great shape. We both liked the building and the people we knew in it, so we could stay there and have more space. With what I saved in rent and shared utilities, I could even keep my car. I wouldn’t have to move, and we’d be together. The guy who had looked at Luc’s place agreed to come and look at mine, and if he liked it, he could take over the lease. I knew there was a waiting list for one-bedroom places in the building, so management should easily find someone for Jenny’s apartment.

  We were almost living together anyway. We rarely spent a night apart, and Jenny was hardly ever at her place. I was sure she’d stuffed most of her clothes into my closet and drawers. Her favorite reading chair even had a spot in my living room.

  Moving us would be simple. It was only down the hall. Luc planned to be gone in forty-eight hours. With the help of my friends, I could move all my stuff over in short order—probably Jenny’s as well. I could have it all done by the time she got home. She wouldn’t even have to think about it.

  She’d be thrilled. We’d be together, and all she’d have to do would be to add her own touches and settle in. With me.

  She’d love it.

  I only had to convince her of that fact.

  Quickly.

  I dialed her number, my hand shaking.

  Was she ready for what I was about to propose? Would she want to live with me, officially? I knew I wanted to be with her all the time. But I also knew I had been one step ahead of her our whole relationship. I wanted this…more than anything.

  She answered immediately, and I could hear the background noise. “Hey, Wren.”

  “Connor? Are you okay?”

  “Can you find a quiet corner and we could do a video chat?”

  “Give me five minutes.”

  “Okay.”

  I hung up and paced the room.

  I looked at her shocked face on my screen.

  “You want us to move in together?”

  “Yes.”

  “Take over Luc’s lease?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you want me to decide—right now.”

  My fingers clutched my hair. “I know it’s fast, Jenny, but it works so well. It all lines up.”

  “So, we’d save money, you wouldn’t have to sell your car, and you’d stay in the building?”

  “Yes.” I nodded emphatically.

  She’d been shocked when I’d told her my original plan once I knew I couldn’t get as much for my car as I’d hoped. I could see she disliked the idea of me moving as much as I did. I also knew she was surprised at the solution I offered. I hated doing it over the phone, but Luc had to have an answer soon. If I told him no, he needed to find someone else.

  I didn’t want to tell him no.

  “So, this is a convenience, Connor? We’d be roomies?”

  I gaped at her.

  That was what she thought?

  Fuck’s sake, of course she did. I’d called her up unexpectedly, told her I had a great apartment we could share, then expounded on the fact of all the money we would save. I made it sound like a budgeting thing. Not one word about the fact that even if I still had to sell my car and take a part-time job for it to happen, I wanted to live with her.

  I sat back and smiled into the screen.

  “Jenny Wren, listen to me. Listen well. Do you know why moving in together would be such a great thing?”

  “You can keep your car?”

  “No. I don’t care about the damned car. It’s so great because it means I don’t have to leave you. The thought of being far away from you was killing me.” I ran a hand over my face, scrubbing my cheeks roughly. “It means that every morning I can wake up with you. The last thing I will see every night is your sweet face. When I get home, I know you’ll be there. I want that. More than anything.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. And while getting to keep my car is a bonus, getting you—living with you, is my dream.” I paused and closed my eyes for a moment. “I love you, Jenny. And I want this for us.”

  “It’s so fast.”

  I sighed. “I know, and if you don’t want it—one hundred percent want it—I understand. I still love you, and I hope one day I get my dream.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. I’ll wait, Jenny. I’ll wait for you.” Then I winked at her, so she knew it was okay. I was asking too much of her, expecting an answer immediately to a decision so large. “You’ll just have to get used to being at my beck and call.” I chuckled. “Or the bus.”

  I could see the tears on her cheeks. I wanted to kiss them away.

  “Connor?”

  I traced the screen with my finger, wishing she were in front of me for real. “Yeah, Wren?”

  “I want it, too.”

  I paced around, constantly glancing at my watch. Jenny would be home soon.

  Our home.

  I had done it. I took over Luc’s lease, Joe had taken my apartment, and, within a day, management had a new tenant for Jenny’s place, one who would move in next week. With the help of my fellow officers and some firefighter friends, we had moved both apartments in the span of two evenings. Nothing was packed; we simply carried everything from the old apartments into the new one, in one long conga line. I put the furniture in the right rooms but knew Jenny would rearrange things once she arrived. She would make the space a home for us. For now, our dishes, pans, and linens were mingled together in the various cupboards, and I grinned every time I opened a door and saw them.

  Jenny had no idea the entire move had happened. She thought we would be doing it when she got home, and I kept that information to myself. However, she wouldn’t have to do a thing except settle into her new place—our new place.

  I had dinner in the oven and plenty of bottles of wine in the refrigerator. I fully expected lots of tipsy comments and hot sex as we celebrated and broke in every new room this weekend. Sex with Jenny was always hot.

  I was looking forward to that.

  My phone buzzed.

  Downstairs the screen read.

  I smiled at Jackey’s message. She was in on the surprise.

  The biggest grin split my face as I went down the hall to meet Jenny at the elevator. I had missed her.

  And I was excited she was home.

  God, her mouth was back on mine, her hands in my hair, tugging and pulling me close as I kissed her deeply. I had missed her so damn much. Missed us. With a groan, I crushed her to my chest, kissing her with everything I had in me. When I finally released her, it was only to bury my face into her neck and breathe her in.

  “I missed you so much,” she whispered.

  “I missed you too, Wren.”

  She giggled, the sweet sound filling my ears. “You must have. You barely let the elevator doors open.”

  I grinned. I hadn’t. As soon as I saw her, I had reached in and pulled her into my arms. Two weeks was two weeks too long without her.

  My mouth covered hers again, my tongue greedy for more of her taste. I lifted her, groaning as she wrapped her legs around my waist. I barely had enough sense left to grab her suitcase with one hand while I held her tightly against me with the other. I stumbled down the hall, refusing to move my mouth off hers or let her down.

  She pulled back, gasping for breath. “Connor! You missed your door!”

  I laughed and kissed her again. I kept walking until I stopped in front of the door at the end
of the hall. I set her back on her feet, pushed open the door, then with a huge grin, scooped her up bridal style, chuckling at her gasp.

  “What are you doing?”

  I kissed her once more and carried her inside. “This is the door now, Jenny. Our door.”

  Jenny

  I ran my fingers ran over the shiny surface of the stainless-steel appliances in the kitchen. They were so pretty—such nice appliances in this apartment.

  I giggled. My new apartment. I giggled again.

  The apartment I now lived in with Connor.

  Connor.

  My Connor.

  He was so pretty, too. So excited as he had handed me a large glass of wine and shown me around the new place, pointing out all the things he knew I would like. He surprised me by having all our things already moved in, living together in cupboards and on shelves. Just waiting for me to come back and join them.

  Join him.

  I took another sip of wine, my hand on the cool surface of the granite. I liked these counters. Connor liked them too.

  I bet he’d like to fuck me on these counters.

  I’d like that.

  I should go find him and ask.

  His arms encircled my waist. His warm breath drifted over my cheek as his lips pulled at my lobe. “No need to look, Wren. I’m right here.” His warm tongue ran up my neck. “I’ll fuck you anywhere, anytime. Name the place, and we are so on.”

  I groaned as my head fell back on his shoulder.

  How much had I had to drink?

  He chuckled. “Enough.” He wrapped his hand around my hair, pulling back my head. “My favorite Jenny is here.” Then his mouth covered mine possessively, his hands sliding under my shirt, up and over my breasts, fondling and pinching my nipples that were hard and aching for his touch. I pressed myself back against him, groaning as his mouth left mine and trailed over to my ear, licking and nipping at the sensitive skin behind it. I could feel him hard and straining against me, and I moaned with desire.