“And how do you feel about that?”
“Truthfully, I feel a lot more settled. Free. I feel like I’m not living in his shadow or trying to be him anymore,” I state. “I feel free to be me and do things the way I think they should be done.”
“Was he okay with you firing Curtis?”
I give her a small grin. “He understood after I explained the situation.”
“I’ll never understand the soft spot he had for that creep.”
“That makes two of us.”
We fall into an easy silence again. Things between us feel less tense than they did a few minutes before. The anticipation is still thick in the air around us, but the tight tension that saturated it has started to dissipate.
“So what are you thinking, Chloe?” I finally ask. “About the job, I mean?”
She looks at me for a long moment, her eyes boring into mine. “If the offer is still good, I’d like to take you up on it.”
I nod, and the first genuine, bone deep smile I’ve had in seemingly forever crosses my face. “Good answer.”
She reaches out and gingerly takes my hand in hers, interlacing our fingers, and squeezes it tight. Her hand is warm on mine and fills me with a rush of the purest love I’ve ever felt before. It makes my heart stutter and my gut churn.
“And about your other offer – if that’s still open, I’d like to make this work, Braxton.” Her voice is clear. Strong. “I love you and want to raise our family together.”
I’m on my feet standing in front of her in a heartbeat. I take both of her hands in mine and grip them tightly as if I’m afraid this is all just a dream and she’ll evaporate like a puff of smoke if I let her go. She’s looking back at me with that heart-melting smile on her face and her eyes dazzling like chips of diamond, even in the gloom of the night around us.
“You’ve just made me the happiest man in the world, Chloe.”
She squeezes my hands tight, and her expression turns serious. “Like your counseling, it’s going to be a process, Braxton. You can’t backslide,” she cautions, her voice earnest. “I can’t be with somebody prone to lose their shit and beat somebody bloody. And I certainly have no intention of raising my child in that sort of environment.”
I nod. “I have no intention of backsliding, Chloe. It’s like I told you, I’m not doing this just for you. I’m doing this for me. I’m doing this because I want to make a change and be a different person,” I explain. “You’re part of the catalyst, sure. But at the root of this is my own desire to be a better man. For you and our child.”
She stares deep into my eyes for a long moment, as if assessing the truth in my words, and then nods to herself as a wide smile spreads across her face. She throws herself into my arms, and I sweep her off her feet, spinning her around, both of us laughing like a couple of lunatics.
My arms around her waist and still holding her well off the ground, I look deeply into her eyes as my heart swells. Leaning forward, I press my mouth to hers and feel her lips part for me. Our kiss is long and filled with every ounce of emotion we feel for each other. Slowly and reluctantly, I set her back down on the table and take my seat beside her, feeling better than I have in the last few weeks. I smile at her, feeling whole. Complete. Happy.
“What does your mom think about this?” I ask.
Chloe flashes me a devious grin. “She’s going through some changes of her own, and she’s willing to give you a chance,” she says. “But she wanted me to warn you that if you do me wrong, you’re going to be finding Thaddeus’ crap all over your yard for the rest of your life.”
I laugh out loud. “I’d expect nothing less.”
“She also said that since we’re not having our original wedding annulled, that she expects you to plan a real wedding ceremony,” Chloe grins. “She demands to see her daughter properly married.”
“What? She wasn’t impressed that we were married by the Queen of England?” I ask, feigning shock. “I mean, how many people can claim that honor?”
“Not many, and I tried to argue that very point to her myself,” Chloe adds. “But she’s adamant about wanting a proper ceremony for me.”
I nod. “Fair enough. But do we have to invite her?”
Chloe shrieks with laughter and slaps me on the arm. “You’re horrible,” she beams. “She’s missed so many milestones in my life and said she wants this one for herself. She wants to see me have an actual wedding.”
I plant a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Mark this down. It’s the first time in history that your mother and I agree on something,” I tell her. “We’re going to plan an amazing wedding together.”
I lean down and kiss her again, my entire body pulsing with waves of emotion. I never thought it would happen, that I could have this sort of pure joy in my life. And as I look into her crystalline blue eyes, I know this is just the tip of the iceberg. My happiness – our happiness – will only grow from here.
Chloe looks up at me, laying her soft, smooth hand against my cheek gently. “I love you, Braxton.”
“And I love you,” I tell her. “With everything in me and more.”
Epilogue
Chloe
One Year Later…
The sound of crashing waves fills my ears, the scent of the ocean air here in Seychelles fills my nose, and utter joy fills my heart. I can’t suppress the smile as I look at the way the sunlight slanting in through the window glints dazzlingly off the ring on my finger. I never imagined I could feel so absolutely fortunate or that such good things would happen for me.
Between work, Braxton, and our baby boy Tyson, I feel like I’ve lived on nothing but sheer bliss and happiness for the last year. As I stare up at the ceiling of our private cabana, I feel like pinching myself for the thousandth time since this all started.
I roll over to find Braxton’s eyes open and focused on me. He gives me a smile and a peck on the tip of my nose.
“Morning,” he chirps.
“Well, good morning,” I grin. “And it’s not at all creepy that you’re watching me sleep or anything.”
He laughs softly. “I like watching you when you sleep,” he winks. “It’s the only time you’re quiet.”
I squeal with laughter and punch him in the shoulder. “You’re such a pig.”
Braxton grabs hold of my shoulders and pulls me to him, kissing me deeply. As his tongue dashes and swirls with mine, I feel his hard, thick cock pressed against me.
“Feels like somebody’s awake this morning,” I purr.
Braxton smiles as he lifts me up and rolls onto his back, setting me back down, so I’m straddling his face. He immediately goes to work with his tongue, licking and lapping at my suddenly wet lips and swollen, pulsing bud, like he has something to prove.
Braxton grips my ass, his fingers pressing into my flesh as he drives his tongue deep inside of me. I grip the headboard of the bed tight and roll my hips, grinding my pussy against his face, his tongue touching off explosions of pleasure inside of me.
“Fuck, Braxton,” I moan. “Holy fuck, baby.”
The crack of Braxton’s hand slapping my ass echoes throughout the room. He moans in delight as he laps at my pussy and nips at my clit. I grind myself down harder against his mouth, rolling my hips wildly, the feeling of his mouth on me driving me absolutely crazy. My body feels charged by lightning, and I reach down, gripping his hair tight, forcing my pussy down onto his face even harder. Braxton moans, his deep voice rumbling through my molten core.
Still gripping his hair with one hand and the headboard with the other, I ride Braxton’s face wildly, his tongue and the heat of his mouth on my most intimate parts bringing me to the brink. Braxton nips at my clit with his teeth, and I throw my head back as a primal scream bursts from my throat.
My grip on the headboard and his hair tighten, and he keeps licking and sucking on my pussy. I shudder violently, my orgasm exploding deep in the center of me. My breath is ragged, and my heart is hammering inside my chest. I look d
own at Braxton, and his eyes are glittering mischievously in the morning light, filled with a hunger that immediately gets me wet again.
Biting on my bottom lip seductively, I slide down his body and wrap my fingers around his thick shaft. I grip his dick tight in my fist, squeezing him for all I’m worth. Braxton presses his head back into the pillows, groaning with absolute pleasure. As I run the tip of my tongue around the head of his rod, teasing the sensitive underside, and lapping at the precum seeping out of the tip, as I start to jack him off.
Pumping my fist up and down, I take him into my mouth and start to suck him harder. Braxton lets out a choked gasp as I work his organ with my mouth and hand in time with each other, sucking and stroking him with every bit as much vigor and energy as he’d put into eating my pussy.
His body stiffens beneath my hands, and his cock swells in my mouth. His moaning grows louder, and his movements more erratic. Braxton grips my hair and starts pumping his staff into my mouth, making me suck him off even harder. But then he releases his grip on my hair and looks at me with wild eyes filled with desire. Pushing myself up, I grip his cock, straddling him and pushing the head of it between my throbbing lips. I lower myself down, taking him all the way into me. My eyes roll into the back of my head, and I groan as he fills me up.
“Chloe,” he moans. “Fuck me, Chloe.”
I plant my hands on his chest for leverage and start to roll my hips, my body crashing into his as I impale myself on his thick staff. Braxton stretches me open as I ride him. His hands roam my body. He slaps my ass hard and raises his face, giving my hard nipple a firm bite that makes me cry out.
“Fuck me harder, baby,” he gasps. “You feel so fucking good.”
I thrust myself up and down on him, fucking him as hard as I can. Braxton’s fingers dig into my hips, and he arches his back, driving his dick even further into me. My movements grow frantic, and I bounce up and down on him, calling out his name as he hits that spot deep inside of me.
The pressure is building up within me, and my pussy is absolutely throbbing, aching for release. Braxton grabs my hips and rolls me over onto my belly. He braces himself on his arms above me and drives his cock deep into me from behind. He grips my hair and wrenches my head back, keeping me pinned to the bed, driving his thickness into me with a wild and crazy abandon.
Our cries and moans are mingled, blending with the crash of the ocean waves just outside the cabana. All of my every nerve endings feel like they’re on fire, and as he pounds me with his long, thick rod, I grip the bedsheets tightly and scream into my pillow. I draw a long, shuddering breath and come hard.
“Braxton,” I gasp. “Fuck, don’t stop, baby. Don’t stop.”
The weight of his body on mine, pinning me to the bed as he pumps his cock into me while I come, sends currents of erotic electricity through my body. My pussy quivers and pulses, tightening around his organ. Braxton’s rhythm slows, but he drives himself into me harder, deeper, setting my whole body aflame.
His breathing grows ragged, but he keeps pounding his hard cock, slick with my wetness, into me. I tighten my pussy around him, and Braxton’s rhythm falters. I feel his body tense up around me. He lets out an animalistic groan as his dick begins to throb inside of me. A moment later, I feel him erupt, feel him filling my pussy with his hot, sticky seed.
The feeling of him bursting within me sends another wave of pleasure washing through me, and my skin grows hot. When he’s spent, and his cock begins to soften, Braxton flops onto his back, his breathing labored. I curl up next to him and lay my head on his broad, toned chest.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that,” I gasp.
He kisses the top of my head and smiles. “I know I won’t.”
We lay together in silence for a little while as I dreamily listen to the strong, steady rhythm of his heart beating in his chest and smile, letting my happiness and contentment wash over me.
This time away has been a long time coming. Between work and the baby, we couldn’t go on our honeymoon right after the wedding – Braxton had to oversee the company during his reshuffling, and I was not going anywhere near a bikini until I had Tyson.
But once things settled down, Braxton made plans with my mother to watch Tyson, and he whisked me away to Seychelles for our long-overdue honeymoon – and a trip filled with as much loud, wild, free, and unfettered sex as I could possibly want. I have to say it’s been nice not having to hide away and keep quiet in those times we were able to have sex – which seemed to be precious few, with a newborn baby who didn’t sleep much.
But the last few days have been the best of my life, and it only has me looking forward to our future even more. Not just for the sex, of course, but for everything that comes with being married to a man I’m so deeply and powerfully in love with.
“I’m so glad we finally got a break and were able to get away,” he says.
“That makes two of us.”
My body relaxes as the endorphins finally start to wear off, leaving me feeling happily sleepy. I nuzzle even closer to Braxton and revel in the feeling of having his strong arms wrapped around me and the sound of his heartbeat in my ear.
“So what do you want to do today?” he asks, his voice a low, comforting rumble.
I screw up my face, feigning thought. “Well, I vote that we take a nap, screw each other’s brains out, take a dip in that bathwater warm ocean, screw each other’s brains out, grab some dinner and then screw each other’s brains out…”
“I’m sensing a theme here,” he laughs.
“It’s your fault, you know. You turned me into this terribly wanton woman,” I grin. “But if you’d rather not –”
“That wasn’t a complaint,” he says quickly, laughing. “Just an observation.”
I gently nudge him in the ribs. “Well you better get used to a long, long life of servicing me,” I laugh. “But if you can’t keep up with me, old man –”
“I think I’ll do just fine,” he grins and pulls me even closer to him.
I look up and smile at the expression of absolute love I see in his eyes and know I’ll never get tired of seeing him look at me that way. No man has ever looked at me that way, and it turns my insides to goo every time I see it.
“I plan on spending a long, long time making you as happy as I possibly can,” he says with absolute sincerity.
“I’m going to hold you to that,” I reply.
“You better.”
I give him a slow, languid kiss, letting all the love I feel for Braxton pour out of me and into him. I pull back and give him a smile. I never imagined I’d ever feel so absolutely blissful and content as Braxton makes me feel. My life has been a struggle at times and an absolute dumpster fire at others. But he somehow manages to make everything okay. He manages to make me feel whole and complete. Unlike at various other points in my life, with Braxton, I never have to question whether or not I’m good enough. I know I am.
Braxton grounds and centers me. He helps me find my strength, my passion, and my creativity. He brings out the best in me. And I know I do all of that for him as well. We complement each other in a thousand different ways, and people on the outside say it’s like we were made for each other. But it wasn’t always that way.
I’ve loved Braxton for a long time – and I know he’s loved me. It was never the right time, and I think if we’d tried to make a real go of this earlier, it would have failed terribly and maybe, the damage would have been irreparable. The truth is, we weren’t ready for it. But with time, experience, and the events in our lives that smoothed out our jagged edges, we finally lined up, and our two halves came together to make one seamless whole.
My life hasn’t unfolded the way I saw it when I was younger. There have been plenty of bumps and potholes along the way. But all the challenges I’ve endured have made me a better person and taught me important lessons. I choose to believe it’s all been preparation for where I am today.
And my life couldn’t possibly
be any more perfect than it is right now.
THE END
Not ready for your time to end in Briggs? Don't worry, come back to Briggs with Adam and Rose’s story.
Available on Amazon July 29th
About the Author
Beverly Evans likes novels that will transport her into another world and provide her with a happy escape. But she enjoys writing those types of novels even more!
Beverly loves writing sexy, hunky, brooding, intense, and swoon worthy alpha billionaires. Her romance novels will leave you hooked to every page.
Her favorite holiday is Christmas, and if she could she would live forever in a little cottage by the beach.
Email her at [email protected] to get in touch with her!
Also by Beverly Evans
A Briggs Town Series
Book One - One Night Flame
Book Two - Boss Next Door
Book Three - Hate Loving You
Standalone Novels
Unexpected Marriage
My Boss, My Protector
Delivering Her Gift
Billionaire Daddy
Boss Next Door Page 33