Happily Ever After: A Contemporary Romance Boxed Set

by Piper Rayne

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  To my fabulous readers!

  Thank you isn’t enough to convey how much I appreciate all of you and how much you mean to me.

  As writers, we do this for you.

  1

  “Amber, whatever happened to your New Year’s Eve resolution? And I quote: ‘It’s time to get real about what I want,’ end quote.” The group of women lounging by the pool that sunny afternoon were some of her closest friends, but she’d yet to share with any of them what she “wanted” in her life, or more precisely who.

  So, she did what any mature twenty-seven-year-old did in that type of situation, and stuck her tongue out, ignored her friends, and went back to scrolling through Pinterest on her tablet. Jeez, with friends like hers, who needed enemies, calling her out on a resolution she’d blurted out after a glass and a half of champagne.

  “Oh, I remember that declaration too.” Evie, another friend, soon to be ex-friend if she didn’t back her up, sat up in her lounger and grinned at Amber. “You were so adamant that night. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you so serious before. We never did talk about it, because well, Sophie and Grant hooked up that night, then we went out drinking, and I kinda forgot about.”

  “We did not hook up that night, Evie. We only kissed. We hooked up a week later.” Sophie chuckled as she looked, “Hey, I’m bored and tired of being fat. I need a distraction from my swollen ankles. I’ve been worried about you, Amber. I was kinda thinking you were referring to a guy when you made your resolution, but you’ve hardly dated this year.”

  Amber Wyatt sipped her chilled drink and narrowed her eyes at one of her best friends, Sophie McMannis. It was Sophie’s good fortune that she was seven months pregnant; otherwise, Amber would so challenge her to a leg wrestling match. The fourth member of their group by the pool was the main reason she couldn’t talk about her declaration now, and not ever. Because Sophie was right, she had been thinking of someone when she’d vowed to get real about what she wants. It was just too bad that she happened to be the fraternal twin to another member of their group hanging out by the pool. Reese Kincaid-Connor had warned all of her single girlfriends off when her brother, Royce Kincaid, had moved back to Pineville. Not because she didn’t think her friends were good enough for him; quite the opposite.

  Royce Kincaid had a hard edge to him from years as a soldier, then a police officer for the Dallas PD before he applied for a job on the Pineville, Idaho SWAT. He’d never had a serious romantic relationship and didn’t go looking for one from what Reese had shared. Rumor was Royce preferred nameless encounters with women who didn’t mind a little dirty talk with their orgasms.

  Amber sighed and took another long drink of her iced mimosa.

  “That was a dreamy sigh if I’ve heard one.” Reese’s laugh rang out above the splashing and jeering taking place at the deep end of the pool.

  “Agreed. What or who’s on your mind, Amber? I think it’s way past time you got lucky; even if it’s a one-night thing, I guarantee it’ll improve your outlook.”

  Amber snorted. “I wasn’t aware my ‘outlook’ was so noticeable. Thanks for pointing that out.”

  Sophie raised her hand. “It has to be with the right guy though; otherwise, she could become even more frustrated. I know a few guys that might fit the bill. There’s this new bartender at O’Malley’s, and he has a drool-worthy ass, so if—”

  “Sophie, you’re a month away from pushing that baby out, and you’re checking out a guy’s ass? You go, girl!” Reese raised her wineglass in an air toast.

  Sophie giggled. “Well, these hormones have been raging. It’s crazy, and Grant has been a very happy husband. I told him not to get too used to it because after the baby comes, the bedroom fun will be taking a hiatus.”

  Evie, the only other single girl in attendance at the moment, performed a perfect spit take at her boss’ statement. “TMI. Sophie, I love you but are you sure all that…fun is good for junior?”

  “No worries my friend. I double-checked with my midwife, and junior is well cushioned. But thank you for your concern. And one day, I hope all of you experience this perk of pregnancy because the morning sickness and weight gain suck.” Sophie rubbed her stomach. “And, of course, it’s all worth it to be able to have a healthy little boy.”

  Amber took in it all in and was on board with some of it. Except the pregnancy part. She’d had a tough childhood thanks to a mother who resented her and who never hesitated to remind her how Amber had been a mistake. And that Amber should be thankful that her father had bribed her to prevent her from ending the pregnancy. If it hadn’t been for her father, Amber was sure she would have been put up for adoption or ended up in the system.

  She’d made a vow when she was all of nine that she’d never get married or have kids. Years later she hadn’t changed her mind on either one. “I appreciate all the suggestions, but I’m just fine. My outlook is fine. When I’m ready to date, I’ll find my own guy.”

  Sophie, Reese, and Evie exchanged glances.

  “She’s so not fine. Her shoulders are all hunched over. I think I see some new lines on her forehead, and when was the last time any of us noticed that after awesome sex glow?” Reese stood up and walked over to Amber’s lounge chair. “We’re gonna find you a new guy, sweetie. You need to get your groove back, my friend. No, stop shaking your head. You’re too young and gorgeous to live like a nun.”

  Reese stared her down, then threw up her hands, “Sophie, Evie? Back me up here.”

  Amber hated being the center of attention. She felt her face warm and peeked over at the group of men who were standing around the outdoor kitchen, drinking beer and loudly arguing over what else, baseball. The one member of the group who’d held her interest, but was off-limits, had yet to look her way since he arrived.

  She’d be mortified if he’d heard his sister’s declaration.

  And because he was the one she wanted to get her groove on with.

  Amber wasn’t purposely living like a nun. She just wanted one man in her bed, and since he’d returned to Pineville, her interest in anyone else had disappeared. Nope, she hadn’t lost her groove; she just couldn’t confess to her girlfriends why she hadn’t gone out with a guy in over a year.

  Royce Kincaid fueled her fantasies, but her relationship with Reese was too important to sacrifice for a shot with her brother.

  Amber had had a few short-term relationships. The men she dated tended to be of the same mind. But for some reason, her sex life never lived up to the promise her handful of relationships had started on; men seemed to treat her as if she would break because of her petite height.

  Royce had it bad. The effort it was taking to keep his eyes off the group of women by the pool had him keyed up. His thoughts kept reverting back to a curvy dark brown-eyed female who’d been haunting his dreams since the day he’d been introduced to her at his sister’s restaurant.

  The object of his current desire was connected to his sister’s friends’ group, and that meant he needed to be careful. He’d held off pursuing her the few times they were at one of the Outlaws games or a dinner party. His patience was being tested as was his sudden streak of abstinence. He didn’t connect it to his desire for Amber, but he found himself comparing any woman he thought about hooking up with to her.

  “Royce, you up for another?” Connor Holt, his childhood best friend and current home run leader for the Idaho Outlaws baseball team, held up a bottle of Royce’s favorite pale ale.

  “Sure, I’m off duty for another day. Beer me.” He caught the no-look pass from Connor and put all his attention on opening the brew and taking a long pull of the light amber liquid. He needed to ext
inguish the fire Amber always created inside of him when they were in the same space.

  They’d caravanned over to Grant and Sophie’s place after the last home game of the regular season. He let his gaze roam over the crowd, carefully avoiding the pool area, and noted the players and their families in attendance. He’d been quickly accepted into the tight circle of friends who played together on the baseball diamond and a handful of those who supported them.

  He hadn’t missed the fact that most of the players and two of the owners hadn’t ventured far from the group of friends when looking for love. Hell, most of them were now married with a kid or two and a couple yet to be born. He’d just learned that Connor and his sister were expecting, but they were going to wait until after Grant and Sophie’s kid arrived next month before making the announcement.

  Royce was happy for them. Although in the beginning, he was pissed at Connor thinking he was just playing around with Reese to get her into his bed, but now that they were married, he couldn’t see them without each other. Better them than him.

  Laughter broke into his musings, and without thinking he zeroed in on the sound of Amber’s husky laugh. It had been a surprise to him the first time he’d heard it coming from her cute but short self. Just one more thing to set off his dick whenever he was around her.

  Time stopped. His gaze lasered in on Amber’s. Her eyes were hidden behind dark lensed sunglasses, but he knew she’d discovered him watching her. The quick turn of her head gave her away. But it hadn’t been quick enough. Her double-take had tipped him off. And he watched as her mouth had opened and formed a pouty “oh.” An unconscious signal on her part, on his it was a challenge he almost took and walked over to find out what had been so funny to set off the women throwing back their heads and covering their mouths in merriment.

  The first time he met Amber slammed into him. The memory from almost seven months ago of their handshake and her blue and interested eyes had him cursing his sister for introducing them. How messed up was it that the most beautiful and hottest woman he’d met in forever had to be a friend of his sisters? When their flesh had pressed together in that one handshake, a sharp, lightning-fast zap of energy slammed into him. He suppressed a groan at the inequity of it and swallowed a curse he wanted to shout at Reese.

  He thought he’d hid his reaction well, but they had that weird twin connection and her eyes flashed “untouchable” toward Amber. He’d almost wiped his chin to make sure he hadn’t drooled. He pulled his hand back slow, relishing the contact, a single touch of the lovely Amber before he schooled his features and put on his cop face. No sense projecting his desire when it could never be fulfilled.

  Besides, he preferred women who only wanted a hard tap on the ass and a night to brag about to their girlfriends. Royce was a guaranteed good time. One night only. He wasn’t interested in long-term; hell, he wasn’t even looking for anything with benefits. Too messy and emotions had a funny way of sneaking up on you. After what he went through the first year he lived in Dallas when a woman he’d spent just two nights in his bed began planning their wedding, he made sure anyone he hooked up with knew their time together was a one-time deal.

  And if he was talked about behind his back as a womanizer, he’d take that over a lifetime tied to the wrong person.

  “Kincaid! Yo, come over here and back up your man. He claims you almost beat the crap out of him last year. That true?” Maverick Jansen, star pitcher for the Outlaws, waved him over to the grill where he and Connor were critiquing Grant’s grilling strategy with the mouth-watering steaks. The smell of perfectly grilled meat reached him, and he willingly pulled himself from mooning over a woman he couldn’t have, not even for his usual one night only.

  “Holt, you talking smack again. I didn’t even come close to touching you. Why do you have to keep telling that story now that you’re married to my sister cracks me up.” Royce reluctantly turned his back to the view he had of Amber. Her low-cut dress and high heels provided fed a fantasy of them together, alone, and him removing everything but the heels as they went at each other under a late summer evening. Outside sex was definitely something he’d like to introduce her to; in an alternate universe where she wasn’t Reese’s friend.

  ‘Hey, man. Where’d you go?” Connor asked.

  Maverick and Connor exchanged a knowing look. Royce finished off his beer and tossed it in the trashcan next to the grill. “Just thinking.”

  “Yea, thinking about his next hook-up. Have I told you that Royce here might need to leave the state soon in order to find a woman he hasn’t—"

  “Con, I’m sure Maverick could care less about my personal life. But, if memory serves, before Kelsey made an honest man out of you, you had your fair share of the single female population back in Boston.” As Royce finished speaking, he caught a movement to his left and turned to see who had joined them.

  A mere two steps away, Amber paused at the food table, grabbed a handful of napkins, and disappeared into the house. Her face had been flushed. He willed her to look up, and when she did, the look they exchanged was full of longing and regret. Before he could act on either emotion, she disappeared into the house.

  Dammit. He took a quick look toward the pool. What had happened? Evie, Sophie, Reese were now all standing and speaking with a few more of the player’s wives who had joined the group. The party had grown since he’d arrived. He’d been so focused on not getting caught staring at Amber that he’d let his guard down. Even off duty he was always aware of his surroundings and who came and went. Years of training in the military and now as a SWAT member ensured his senses were perpetually on high alert no matter his surroundings.

  However, when Amber Wyatt was around, it appeared his radar locked only onto her. And that had to change. To make sure that happened, he needed to leave—now.

  “You’ve got it bad. I know that look. Con, isn’t she a friend of Reese’s. Maybe, you should—”

  Connor waved off Maverick’s matchmaking attempt. “Not a good idea. Reese and Royce have an understanding. He doesn’t try to hook-up with her friends, and she lets him live.”

  Royce listened with half an ear as the two men had a good laugh at his expense. Con wasn’t wrong. Reese came first no matter how much he wanted Amber. Question was, how long could he hold out now that he’d be seeing her every time this group of friends got together?

  2

  O’Malley’s Pub was packed. It didn’t hurt that the co-owners were two of the local Idaho Outlaws star players, Maverick Jansen and Luke Garibaldi. The team was on the road, and tonight they’d just won game two of the western division playoff series. Two more wins, and they’d be headed to their first league championship series.

  Royce had just finished an uneventful shift and was ready to find a willing bed partner and spend the evening erasing Amber from his thoughts.

  She was becoming an unobtainable obsession, and tonight he vowed to end the wanting and replace it with a couple rounds of his favorite exercise.

  And he found the perfect woman. Someone whose features and coloring were the exact opposite of Amber’s. It was a Friday, after nine p.m., and he was ready to make his move when a commotion occurred at the front door. A group of women entered. A loud group, to be more exact. He glanced over his shoulder on his way to the bar. What he saw stopped him cold in his tracks. Amber and a group of friends weaved their way to the back of the room and thanks to a reserved sign, took ownership of a six top.

  He watched in disbelief as the woman he was here to erase from his thoughts had just cock blocked him. What. The. Hell? It had been a week since he last laid eyes on Amber and spent every day since thinking about her and her shapely legs in high heeled shoes wrapped around his waist.

  Squeals of laughter rang out as he debated his next move. The blonde at the bar wouldn’t be alone much longer. He’d already scouted out the competition, and a couple of other guys had been sending her drinks, and one had made his way over and struck up a conversation with the blonde
and her equally attractive friend. But he’d set his sights on the blonde for one reason. He wasn’t looking for a substitute, just a quick lay. It would be easier if the woman didn’t share similar features.

  “Royce!”

  A high-pitched female voice shouted his name. He closed his eyes briefly and held back a groan. There’d be no escaping the rowdy group of women. He changed course and plastered on a smile and coached himself to keep his eyes off of Amber as he approached the back table.

  When he arrived, he found the new bartender that Maverick had hired holding court. Sure he was tall, fit, and had good teeth. If you were into that kind of guy. And he was maybe five years younger than Royce. He was prime meat for the women at the table. Would Amber find him attractive?

  Evie had been the one to call his name. She bounced out of her chair and came to his side. “Hey, I thought that was you. How come you’re not out serving and protecting?” She giggled and hiccupped and swayed a bit.

  “Hold up there. How much have you already had?” Royce took note of her dilated pupils and held out his hands on either side of her, just in case.

  “Oh, just two glasses at Sophie’s. We had a baby shower for her since she couldn’t travel to Charlotte for the playoffs. Don’t worry, Officer Kincaid, we took a rideshare here.” Evie flung out her arm to indicate the rest of the women.

  “Ladies, looks who’s here.” Evie was looking right at Amber as she made her announcement.

  Royce, for the first time in maybe forever, felt his face warm as five pairs of female eyes landed on him. The new bartender, what’s-him-name, looked as well, but his gaze narrowed as he folded his body-builder arms. He didn’t look happy to have the attention of a table full of women taken from him. Royce shrugged at the bartender. Too bad. He laughed, on the inside, as the guy walked back to the bar.

  He dismissed his non-competition, placed his hands on his hips, and widened his stance. Tonight’s chances of getting laid dimmed, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a bit of fun. “Ladies. How is everyone?”