I hear him fumbling with his belt, and I get up on my elbows, watching him undress. He sheds his pants and boxers, revealing his big erection.
I approach him, kneeling on the mattress, taking it in my hand, licking the drop that shines on the tip. I hear him inhale between his teeth, making me bolder. I wrap my lips around his cock, going down toward the base, trying to take it all in my mouth. But I can't, and I try again. I feel it in the back of my throat. I have to gag, and I do it again, sucking it.
"Fuck, baby, you're killing me!" He stops me, then pushes me on the mattress, teasing me, rubbing his penis between my labia and on the clitoris.
"Jace, I want you...”
"Me too, love. And you'll have me...” He gasps as he pushes himself inside me, giving me time to adjust to him. He takes off my bra, taking my nipples in his mouth one at a time, sucking and teasing them.
His every inch is pleasant torture.
With each thrust, he fills me up more. I can't think or speak. The only thing I can do is moan and pant.
He turns me on my stomach and slaps my butt as he impales me without waiting, squeezing my hips while increasing his speed. He leans on my back, kissing my neck while his fingers play with my clit. He increases the speed of his thrusts.
"Come for me, baby,” he whispers to me, and I explode into a powerful orgasm, making us both shiver.
We’re breathless and satisfied. I’ve never experienced such an intense sensation in my life.
"I love you, baby."
"I love you, my love."
After a while, we get dressed. I put on my pajamas and go to Jace's house. It's late, and Katie needs to go home.
Chapter 22
Jace
God, I've never felt so good with any of the girls I've had. It was like being in heaven. We go back to Emily, who’s sleeping.
Katie tells us that she slept most of the time. I pay her, and she leaves.
I go to hug Maddie, and we look at the baby.
"Stay with me tonight, love," I whisper to Maddie, kissing her neck.
"I'm not going anywhere."
"For real?" I ask, surprised. Maddie leans her back against me and turns her head to kiss me, slipping her hands into my hair.
"Let's go to bed, my love," I whisper to her.
We sleep in an embrace, and I feel like the luckiest man in the world. Now I know what it means to love and be loved.
* * *
In the morning, I find myself alone in bed.
I get up and see that Emily isn’t in her cot.
I go down to the kitchen and find Maddie making breakfast while she sings and makes funny faces at Emily, who laughs. Her first real laugh. I’m overwhelmed with emotion.
"Good morning, love. The coffee is ready."
"Good morning, babe.” I kiss her and turn to Emily, saying good morning. "Did you sleep well?"
"Never slept so good, and you?"
"I slept with an angel, and I would say ... as in heaven is the right definition."
She shakes her head and laughs. "It's a beautiful day. I was thinking about going for a walk to the lakefront."
"Sounds good, babe."
* * *
We have breakfast and are getting ready to go out when Ayden calls me.
'Hey, big brother, what's up?'
'Hello, Jace. How is my favorite niece doing?'
'She's fine. Maddie is changing her. Everything alright?'
'I think so. I need to talk to you. Do you have five minutes? Can we meet at the lakefront?'
'Oh, you're home? Sure, we'll be there soon. See you there.'
'Yep! See you later.'
I put on my jacket while Maddie puts on Emily’s seatbelt in the stroller.
I kiss her, and we leave the house. It's a nice day, and I hope it's not the last one. I love autumn.
"Nanteville looks magical these days."
"True, the autumn colors make it incredible. Wait until you see it with snow. You’ll fall in love with it."
"I trust you. Before going home, I want to stop by the pastry shop."
"Okay, what would you like to get?"
"A cake." She smiles back as she covers Emily better.
"A cake?"
"Yes, I want something sweet,” she says, smiling.
I kiss her. "Mmmm, sweet but not sweet enough." She smiles mischievously, and I draw her to me, kissing her even more. Her lips are addictive.
"Jace!" I hear, and we both turn around as Ayden approaches us.
"Ms. Wyatt, I heard a lot about you. Apparently, you're the heroine of Nanteville."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not … Mister…?"
"Ayden O'Neill."
"Hi, big brother! When did you get back?" I hug him.
"A week ago."
"And you show up only now?"
"Jace, I'm still on duty."
"Oh ... then I forgive you." My brother bursts out laughing. I see him looking around.
"Where’s my niece?” Maddie walks away, letting him see the baby. My big brother melts in front of Emily. "Jace, she's gorgeous! I'm sorry for ... you know."
"It was better this way," I tell him, looking at Maddie playing with the baby.
"I need to talk to you alone if I can."
"Sure," I say, turning to Maddie, "Love...” She interrupts me, smiling. "I have to feed Emily. I'll go to that bench so that you can talk." She kisses me and walks away, down toward the lake.
"She's charming."
"I'm in love with her, Ayden. It's something I've never felt before." He looks around again. An alarm rings in my head.
"Ayden, what's going on? You said you're working and yet you're here talking to me." His eyes are fixed on Maddie. "What’s happening?"
He sighs. "Maddison. She’s my mission."
I burst out laughing. "Nice try...” He remains impassive and doesn’t stop looking around.
"Ayden, what the fuck are you saying?"
"I have to protect her! Don't freak out. I have everything under control. We've been following her for days."
"Protect her? From whom?"
He turns to his left, staring at a man walking along the lakefront, and smiles, "From him!" he says as he talks into his mic. I notice some people moving around.
Chapter 23
Maddison
"Who is the sweetest princess in this world?"
Emily stretches and yawns. I rock her a little while playing with her hands. She's so beautiful.
I hear a voice behind me. "Happy birthday, Maddison."
My blood runs cold. No, not here. It isn’t possible.
I turn around. When I see Mathew in front of me, I feel like I'm reliving a nightmare.
"Did you really think I wouldn't find you here? We’re meant to be together, Maddison."
"You shouldn't be here! What do you want?"
"Little, naive Maddison. I want you! Let's go home. I miss you!" He approaches, and I take a step back. I put Emily in the stroller and cover her.
"What a beautiful baby. Can I see her?"
"Stay away from my daughter!" I say, trying to get away from him. Emily has to be safe.
I look around and see hardly anyone. How odd. It’s usually swarming with people here.
Mathew grabs me by the arm, yanking me, making me bump into him. "I missed your perfume."
"Leave me alone." I struggle. "You're hurting me!" I tell him as I try to get his hands off me. Jace comes running and throws a punch at him.
Chapter 24
Jace
"Him? Ayden, are you kidding me? Because it's not funny."
"That’s Mathew McConnely, Maddison's ex-boyfriend. We've been hunting him for weeks."
"What the fuck?" I ask, turning to Maddie. I see that he has his hands on her, and I lose my reason. I run toward them, despite Ayden trying to stop me. I punch him away from her.
"Get your hands off her, you bastard!" I hug her tightly, protecting her.
"You wasted no time, huh, b
itch," he yells, wiping his bleeding lip. "You and I are meant to be together!" He takes out a gun, and my heart stops beating. Fuck, Ayden, what the hell are you waiting for? Panic takes over.
"If you’re not mine, you’ll belong to no one else!" I drag Maddie back next to Emily, who’s starting to cry. I take her little hand, keeping sight of the madman with the gun.
"Maybe if I get your lover out of the way, you'll stop playing happy family and go home with me," he says as he points the gun at me. Maddie stands in front of me, serving as a shield.
"Maddie...” I shout, grabbing her and pulling her toward me.
The bastard smiles, and a shot startles me.
Chapter 25
Maddison
For a moment, I don't feel anything. It's like watching a slow-motion movie.
Officers approach as Mathew falls to the ground. Ayden runs toward us, and I hear police sirens in the distance.
I'm shaking when Jace hugs me with Emily in his arms.
"Maddie, look at me! It's over! It's over, love!" He hugs me, rocking me.
I try to recover from the numbness, but I can't. I'm still shaking when Emily's screams get louder and bring me back to reality. When I manage to blink, my eyes finally see Jace, and I burst into tears, hugging him. I’ve never felt such fear in my entire life.
I get up, taking Emily and holding her close to me. Jace hugs us both, kissing my head.
I thought I'd lose them forever.
Chapter 26
Jace
She’s still in shock, and seeing her like this makes me sick. I can't believe she was ready to get shot to protect us.
"Maddison, are you alright? Do you need a doctor?" Ayden asks.
"You’ll need a doctor, asshole! This time you outdid yourself in idiocy!"
"It was the only way for him to get close to her here! Would you have preferred to find him in the house? Maybe at night while you slept? I was sure he’d make his move on her birthday. He's obsessed with her!"
"You put my family in danger, Ayden! My family, for fucks sake!" I tell him, taking him by the collar.
He breaks free by pushing me away. "There were ten agents ready to take action. Don't be melodramatic!"
I punch him. He's my brother, but this was way too much.
When Maddie blinks and looks at me, then hugs me, I feel relieved. We sit on the bench in silence. Emily has calmed down and sleeps blissfully in Maddie's arms, holding her hand.
"Shall we go home, love?" I whisper, kissing her head. She nods, and I motion to Ayden to accompany us.
* * *
We go to my house; I don't want to leave her alone. Maddie puts Emily in the cot and goes into the shower. I follow her and hear her crying.
"Hey, love, it's alright. It's alright, baby. I've got you."
"I'm sorry, I put you in danger. Oh my God, he could have … oh God!"
"Shhh, honey, it wasn't your fault. It's over, baby!"
"Jace...” She looks at me with red eyes, and I feel useless. I rest my forehead against hers and hold her tight.
"You’re my life, baby!"
"I love you," she says to me, and I kiss her because she’s more precious than the air I breathe.
I wrap her in a towel and get out of the shower. She puts on my shirt, and we lie on the bed until she falls asleep.
Chapter 27
Maddison
The phone rings and wakes me up.
'Hello!'
'Hi, Maddie. How are you, honey?'
'Hi, Lorie. I think I’m good now.'
'I'm on my way. I'll be there shortly. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.' She ends the call, and I sit up on the bed.
Emily sleeps blissfully in the cot. I hear Jace arguing with someone downstairs.
"You're a jerk, Ayden! You should have warned me."
"I couldn't! It was the only way I could catch him, Jace. Stop blaming me."
"How did you find her?"
"Lorie...”
"What's Lorie got to do with it?" I ask.
They both turn toward me.
"She was the one who helped us. If it weren't for her, we would never have taken him."
There’s a knock at the door. Jace and I look at each other as Ayden goes to open it.
As soon as he opens the door, Lorie throws herself into his arms.
"Thank God you're okay. On the radio, they said there was a shooting."
"I'm fine, baby. You should have stayed in the hotel. Those were the terms."
"I know."
Jace clears his throat, and they both turn to us. Lorie comes to hug me, squeezing me so hard that I can't breathe. "Lorie, do you want to kill me?" I ask her. She bursts out laughing while crying.
"I'm sorry, honey, I had to. Ayden assured me it would be okay, and I trusted him."
"In fact, everything went well," Ayden retorts presumptuously.
"You have to shut up. I risked losing my family because of you!" Jace says.
"Here we go again," Ayden says, rolling his eyes, "I had everything under control."
"The fuck you had!"
Lorie and I look at each other, amused. We go upstairs, letting the men fight.
* * *
Emily is still sleeping, and we sit on the bed.
I hug Lorie. “It's nice to have you here."
"I missed you, Maddie."
"Me too! Tell me what happened. What do you have to do with all this? And above all ... you and Ayden?"
"Remember the guy I met at the bar? My blind date?"
"Oh, your heavenly fuck?" I ask her. She raises her eyebrows and nods.
"Was it Ayden?"
"Oh, yes. Between calls and a thousand messages, we decided to give ourselves a go."
"I'm happy for you," I answered thoughtfully. All the pieces of the puzzle begin to fit together. "Lorie, did you choose Nanteville because you knew he grew up here?"
"Yes, but hey, you chose the letter!"
"I wonder why I don't believe you. And is it a coincidence that I bought Jace's house?"
"Mmmm … not really, though neither of us believed that you two would fall in love. And I must say that you look fabulous together."
"Thanks."
Emily wakes up, and I pick her up.
"Hello, little one. Shall we go to Daddy?" I ask her as I hug her. Thinking that I had risked losing both of them makes my stomach knot.
When we go down to the living room, the two are still arguing. As soon as they see us, they stop.
Chapter 28
Jace
"You're an asshole!"
"Shut up. You should thank me!"
"For what? For almost exterminating my family?"
Ayden laughs, shaking his head. "You haven't figured it out yet, have you?"
"Figured out what?"
"That the two of them played cupid," Maddie says, handing Emily to me.
I look at them, confused, then the light switches on. What a son of a bitch!
"You're welcome!" my brother says presumptuously as he hugs Lorie.
"Screw you!" I tell him, kissing Maddie.
"Oh, I forgot!" Lorie takes a small package from her bag and gives Maddie a "Happy birthday, honey!"
"Thanks...” Maddie answers. I’d like to slap myself.
The cake. That's why she wanted us to get it!
I hug her from behind and put my chin on her shoulder. "You didn't tell me that today was your birthday! You'll pay for this!" I whisper, gently biting her neck.
* * *
There’s a knock on the door, and Ayden goes to open it. Chris and Ashley seem worried, but they relax as soon as they see that we’re calm.
"So the rumors were true."
"Unfortunately, yes, but we’ve solved the problem."
"Thank goodness. When I heard that there was a shooting at the lake and that you were there, I almost had a heart attack."
"Don't worry, Ash. It's not that easy to get rid of a customer!"
"You moron!" She throws a punch at
me.
Ashley leans against the counter and watches the others as they talk.
"I brought you some papers for Emily."
I start to get tense, and Maddie takes my hand. "Ashley, if it's not good news, please hold them until tomorrow."
"It’s good news. The documents Natalie left you are original and, above all, valid. The judge confirmed that you’re Emily's only parent. Natalie will never have any rights to the baby." Maddie hugs me, and I feel happy. This means one less problem.
There’s a knock again, and Maddie goes to open the door. The cake has arrived.
"You shouldn't have, love!"
"It's your birthday, and I don't want what happened this morning to ruin it, baby."
She shakes her head and looks at the papers that Ashley has placed on the counter.
"What are these?" she asks me.
"Emily's official documents."
"Mmmm ... not only."
"What do you mean?"
I look at Ashley, waiting for an explanation, but she says nothing, bites the inside of her cheek, and sighs.
"The waiver of parental rights on Emily is a double-edged sword. You’re indeed solely responsible for her, but it’s also true...” She stops staring at Maddie as she’s reading them.
"Ashley, stop being mysterious. Spit it out!"
"What she's trying to tell you—and, Ashley, correct me if I'm wrong—is that if anything happens to you at work, Emily would be parentless."
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