by Katie Reus
Leaning down, he didn’t stop his frantic pace as he nipped along her jaw, creating a path all the way to her ear. There was a little spot behind her earlobe that seemed to drive her crazy.
He raked his teeth over the spot and she jerked against him right as he felt the rush of her climax and the tightening of her inner walls as her orgasm hit.
He was done holding back. Crying out her name, he thrust harder, the sound of the water and their moans the only thing he could hear as he lost himself inside her. His climax seemed to stretch on for an eternity as he came inside her in long, hard spurts.
When he finally came down from his high and pulled back to look at her, she simply buried her face against his neck.
“You’re determined to sex me to death,” she murmured, nuzzling against him as she kept her body still wrapped around him.
Her words pulled a surprised laugh from him. “I’ve had a long dry spell. Making up for lost time.”
“I hope I was worth the wait.” She looked up at him then and there was no insecurity in her gaze, just a teasing glint.
He pinched her butt. “You know you were.”
Her full mouth split into a grin. “What do you say we clean up and then eat some of that pie we took home?”
The way she said “home,” as if his place was hers, stirred something deep inside him. He realized that no matter which place he ended up buying, Samantha was his home. As long as she was with him, that was the only thing that mattered.
Epilogue
Two months later
“Where are we going?” Samantha asked again.
“Man, you really hate surprises.” Maguire glanced at his phone’s screen when it buzzed. A text from his sister with two simple words: Everything’s set!
His sister might drive him crazy sometimes, but she always came through. Heck, his whole family always did.
Very soon he hoped to make their family just a little bit bigger by making things official with Samantha. Turned out his parents had been right. Two months was pretty much his limit. He couldn’t go another day without having his ring on Sam’s finger. Just no way.
He wanted everyone to know she belonged to him. Even though they already lived together—he’d asked her about a second after telling her that he loved her. Currently they were living at his place while the home they’d bought—that first one he’d looked at—was under construction. They’d decided to hold off moving in until the changes to the kitchen and bathrooms were complete. Luckily she’d loved that home too, though she’d insisted on expanding the master closet. As soon as they were able, however, he was putting his current place up for rent. The mortgage was paid off so it made sense to hold on to it and use it as a source of income for them.
“I wouldn’t say I hate surprises, but I certainly don’t love them.” She crossed her tanned legs, showing off miles of skin thanks to a red and white summer dress.
He just grinned and turned off the main road onto a gravel one that would be easily missed if you didn’t know where you were going. His parents owned a little property about an hour away from Holly that was secluded and perfect for what he’d planned.
“You look a little bit like a kid on Christmas,” Samantha murmured, narrowing her gaze.
“We’re almost there, so you can relax.”
She glanced out the side window and saw one thing: trees. Lots and lots of trees.
Anticipation hummed through him the closer they got to the clearing where the house was. He slowed his Mustang as they reached the end of the gravel road and pulled onto the paved driveway leading up to the one-bedroom cabin sitting on a lake. Sunset was a few hours away, and though he could only see a portion of the lake because of the angle, what he could see was a sparkling, smooth pane of blue glass. God, it was gorgeous out here, and it was no wonder this had been his parents’ getaway over the years. When they were kids, he and his siblings had never been invited with them when they came here. Only now that they were grown were they allowed to use it.
“This place is adorable. Oh my gosh, did you rent a place for us for the weekend?” Excitement laced her voice as she shifted against her seat to look at him.
“You’ll see.” He’d asked her to take the weekend off from work for this, but hadn’t told her anything else.
They’d both been taking off more and more weekends so they could spend time together, and he’d promoted two of his guys to start taking on more responsibility. It felt good in a way he hadn’t quite imagined. For so many years he’d been chained to work, afraid to simply relax. Thankfully he loved what he did, but he loved Samantha more.
He parked in the driveway and hurried around to open her door before she could. Taking her hand, he helped her out and pulled her flush to him before he brushed his lips over hers. “We’ll leave everything in the car for now. I want to show you the place.”
Slipping her arm around his waist, she nodded and let him lead her to the back of the house. The place was small, maybe a thousand square feet, with a master bedroom, living room, laundry room, kitchen and bathroom. The back portion of the cabin was all windows, so every room had a view of the water.
“This place actually belongs to my parents,” he said as they strolled over the grass toward the long dock that stretched out over the lake.
“Seriously?”
“Yep. This was their getaway over the years. Probably how they survived having four kids.” As they neared the dock, he grinned when he saw everything was set up just like his sister had said.
Samantha looked up at him curiously as they stepped onto the dock, clearly having seen what was at the end.
A big plaid quilt that had been made by his grandmother was stretched out over the end of the dock. A picnic basket filled with cheeses and fruits—and baked goods from Fallon—and champagne was waiting for them.
“This is the sweetest surprise ever.” Samantha squeezed him tightly as they reached the end. “I changed my mind about not liking surprises.”
He really hoped she was ready for one more. Before she could sit, he went down on one knee and pulled out the ring box that had been burning a hole in his pocket for the better part of two weeks. Popping it open, he met her gaze. “Marry me?”
Eyes wide, she nodded as she fell to her knees in front of him. “Yes.” No hesitation, just her clear, perfect voice giving him that one word.
The only word he wanted to hear. Emotion clogged his throat and he’d barely managed to slide the ring on her finger before she wrapped her arms around him, tackling him to the quilt. “I love you, Maguire O’Connor.”
In that instant, he thought his heart might explode. For some reason whenever she used his full name he got hard as a rock. Moving swiftly, he had her pinned on her back underneath him. “I love you right back.”
“Is anyone else around?” she whispered, though it was silent except for the nearby birds and squirrels. “I mean, someone had to have set this up.”
“Long gone. It’s just the two of us.” And he planned to take full advantage of their privacy. The woman he loved had just agreed to become his wife.
Her grin was pure, wicked Samantha. “Good.
He crushed his mouth to hers, teasing her lips open as she wrapped her legs around his waist. The champagne and food would have to wait while he made love to his fiancée.
Soon she’d be his wife. Because he wasn’t doing a long engagement. Nope. If he had his way, they’d be married by Christmas.
He didn’t even care that it would mean his mother would win the betting pool.
Dear Readers,
Thank you for reading It’s Me Again, Baby. I hope you enjoyed it! If you’d like to stay in touch with me and be the first to learn about new releases you can:
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Happy reading,
Katie
Excerpt from
Merry Christmas, Baby
by Katie Reus
Copyright © 2016 Katie Reus
The bell above the front door to Nora’s Books and Brew jingled, but Nora didn’t bother to glance away from the customer she was helping. Since renovating this place seven months ago it was no longer just a bookstore, but a combination bookstore and coffee shop and they sold more coffee than books.
Which wasn’t exactly surprising since Holly, North Carolina saw a lot of tourists, especially during December. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, it was a popular tourist getaway that boasted cobblestone streets, Victorian gingerbread architecture and an old-world feel that made her never want to leave. And it was Christmas twenty-four-seven, year round. Nora’s friend Ella, the town scrooge, hated it, but after growing up with a mom who got depressed every damn holiday and refused to do anything special for either of her daughters, Nora loved everything about Holly.
“Trust me, your daughter, no matter what age, will love the elf, even if she doesn’t read the book. My sister’s seventeen and goes crazy with this thing. Every morning I find him in a different place around the house.”
The woman with pale blonde hair and a bright smile nodded. “I’ll take two sets and a pound of the White Christmas coffee. Whole beans.”
“I’ll meet you at the cash register.” Even though the town was Christmas-themed year round, the month of December was still always their busiest. In addition to her regular employees, she’d hired three seasonal ones, all high-school students, to help out in the afternoons. They were all busy so she headed to the back to grab the Elf on the Shelf book sets and the coffee.
As she passed Macy and Eleanor Baker, sisters in their sixties barely a year apart, sitting at one of the high-top tables in the café, she paused at the odd way they were watching her. “What? Do I have something on my face?” She’d been working since eight o’clock this morning and had barely taken a bathroom break.
Macy, the brunette, gave her a Cheshire cat smile. “Nope. Though it wouldn’t hurt you to put some lipstick on.”
Nora blinked in surprise.
Eleanor nudged her sister. “Don’t be rude. She looks fine. He won’t care about lipstick anyway.”
He? Since she had no idea what they were talking about, Nora gave them a polite smile, murmured something about grabbing stock from the back, and kept going. She adored the sisters, but they could be eccentric on their best days. And today, she didn’t have time for their dose of crazy. She slipped behind the counter, the rich aroma of coffee, coconut, vanilla, caramel and nuts all filling the air. The scents were soothing and familiar, as were the little beeps from the cash register as Kelsey rang up another customer. Music to Nora’s ears.
“I’ll grab what you need. I overheard you and the snow bunny. Two elf sets and coffee, right?” Marjorie, one of her full-time employees asked as she pushed open the swinging door to the back.
“Yeah, but you don’t have to—”
“Go see your man. I got this.” Marjorie tilted her chin in the direction of the café before disappearing through the door.
What the heck? Nora turned around and froze for just a second. Jackson O’Connor, Mr. Too-sexy-for-his-own-good stood at the high-top table talking to the Baker sisters. He held a bouquet of white snapdragons, her favorite. Her immediate instinct was to duck in the back and just avoid seeing him, but screw him. He was in her territory and she certainly didn’t want his flowers. So she pasted on her “shopkeeper smile” and skirted around the counter.
As she rounded it, he looked over, those striking blue eyes landing on her. And damn it, she felt the effect of that stare all the way to her toes. She tried to pretend she didn’t, but her body didn’t lie. Everything around her funneled out, the rich scents and chattering customers all seemed to fade away as she maneuvered her way through the tables. She wished she was in something sexier than jeans, a red and green striped top and her apron, but there was nothing she could do about it. Now she understood the lipstick comment, but not the ‘your man’ one. Jackson certainly wasn’t hers.
He’d made that perfectly clear with his radio silence over the last three weeks. One date and he’d completely ghosted on her; no calls, nothing. Considering they’d been friends before their date, it cut deep that he’d simply decided to ignore her for no reason she could decipher.
“O’Connor,” she said politely as she reached the table. Oh yeah, it was back to O’Connor, what pretty much everyone in town called him. Calling him Jackson was way too intimate and she wanted to set up clear boundaries between them.
She saw the slight way his eyes narrowed when she did. “You have a few seconds, Nora?” His voice was deep and delicious, the baritone making all her nerve endings flare to life.
“Ah…” She glanced behind her. The line at the register wasn’t too bad, but the truth was, she didn’t want to talk to him, much less see him. “I’m pretty busy.”
“Oh go on, honey.” Macy winked at her. “No one will blame you for taking a few minutes to yourself.”
“And if she’s not interested, we are,” Eleanor continued.
To Nora’s surprise, Jackson’s cheeks flushed red. Clearing his throat, he motioned toward the front door. “I shouldn’t have come at such a busy time.”
Though she wanted to tell him that he was right—and give him a piece of her mind—she simply smiled and headed for the front door with him. “Don’t worry about it.” She had to keep her “shopkeeper smile” in place until they were alone. Otherwise everyone in town would gossip and though she might hate it, she had to uphold a certain appearance. When she was Nora Cassidy, business owner, she had to keep a smile on her face and be professional at all times. Which normally wasn’t hard at all. She loved her job and she loved the people of Holly.
“That’s the fakest smile I’ve ever seen,” Jackson murmured as he held the door open for her.
The bell jingled overhead as a blast of wintry air rolled over her. She shivered, wrapped her arms around herself as her boots crunched over the icy sidewalk. And she kept the smile in place even as she gritted out, “No joke. What are you doing here?”
“I…” He practically shoved the flowers at her, the awkward move out of character for the former SEAL. “These are for you.”
“They’re lovely.” Her voice was wry as she reluctantly took them. They really were pretty, but she didn’t care. Flowers didn’t make up for anything.
“You look a little like you want to throw them in my face.” He rubbed a hand over his inky black buzz cut.
She lifted a shoulder. “That would imply I care enough.”
Acknowledgments
As always, I owe thanks to Kari Walker! Thank you for your help with this story and everything else. Joan Swan and Julie Kenner, thank you ladies for our plotting week and helping me with this series. I’m also (always) grateful to Julia for stellar edits, Sarah for everything you do to keep me sane, and Jaycee for another great cover. Of course, thank you to my wonderful readers! To my boys, you guys are my rock. Thank you. And to God, thank you for so many opportunities and blessings.
About the Author
Katie Reus is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Red Stone Security series, the Moon Shifter series and the Deadly Ops series. She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom’s stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it.
However, she didn’t always know she wanted to be a writer. After changing majors many times, she finally
graduated summa cum laude with a degree in psychology. Not long after that she discovered a new love. Writing. She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense. For more information on Katie find her on twitter @katiereus or visit her on facebook at: www.facebook.com/katiereusauthor. If you would like to be notified of future releases, please visit her website: www.katiereus.com and join her newsletter.
Complete Booklist
Red Stone Security Series
No One to Trust
Danger Next Door
Fatal Deception
Miami, Mistletoe & Murder
His to Protect
Breaking Her Rules
Protecting His Witness
Sinful Seduction
Under His Protection
Deadly Fallout
Sworn to Protect
Secret Obsession
Love Thy Enemy
Dangerous Protector
Lethal Game
The Serafina: Sin City Series
First Surrender
Sensual Surrender
Sweetest Surrender
Dangerous Surrender
Deadly Ops Series
Targeted
Bound to Danger
Chasing Danger (novella)
Shattered Duty
Edge of Danger
A Covert Affair
Non-series Romantic Suspense
Running from the Past
Dangerous Secrets
Killer Secrets
Deadly Obsession