“We’ve got time,” my mom tells her. “We’ve got plenty of time. Don’t you worry. We’ve got time.”
It feels so damn good to hear her say that.
It’s me and Magnolia on the porch, watching her ride drive away. Both her hands wrap around mine and her soft body leans into me when the lights from the taxi fade into the distance.
“I loved today,” she whispers and lets out a soft sigh.
I lean down to kiss her at the same time she tilts her head up to kiss me. The second the front door closes, my patience runs out.
I knead my hands on Magnolia’s body and capture her lips with mine. She gasps a little as I push her back against the door and skim one hand up the side of her neck. “Brody,” she whispers, not hiding either the lust or the shock.
“Damn. Say that again.”
“Brody.”
I’ve never hurried so fast in my life as I do on the way back to her bedroom. Magnolia kicks the door shut softly and strips her shirt over her head, wriggling out of her leggings while I undo my pants. Her eyes stay on me the whole time.
My pants hit the floor, and she’s on me. Pushing me back onto her bed, she climbs over me and buries her face into my neck, leaving a trail of kisses.
“Fuck,” I groan, loving how she takes control. It feels like heaven to have her luscious body pressed against me. As she moves against me, her pebbled nipples tease my chest. I thread my hand through her hair and pull her face in close to nip her lower lip. I’m never going to stop kissing her. Not until the last breath leaves my body.
Placing a hand between her legs, I feel how ready she is for me. The whimper that slips from her lips is addictive. She needs this as much as I do. Magnolia makes a soft sound in the back of her throat when I push two fingers inside her.
She grinds herself on my palm, eager and needy. It’s a gorgeous sight. Her lips are parted from her heavy breathing, her eyes half-shut and her chest flushed.
I’d stay here all day. I’d stay here forever, if that was on the table.
But it’s not. We’re short on time for the sweetest possible reason. I line myself up with her hot entrance and slowly guide her hips down on my length. Magnolia’s muscles flutter around me as her eyes close. Her breathing pauses and I wait a moment, letting her adjust. With both hands on my shoulders, her nails dig into my skin. I lean up to kiss her, deep and full of the longing I have for her.
Slowly she picks up the pace, and with each downward movement, it takes everything in me not to thrust upward.
She’s the sight of perfection, riding me like this. Her hands move against my chest as tempting, low sounds escape her. As she gets closer to her climax, her pussy tightening around me, I’m all too glad to take over. I’d do anything for her. In one swift move, I turn us both over, forcing her onto her back and take her mouth with mine.
Every muscle in my body works for her. I want Magnolia to know how much I love her and how much I need her and how much she’s mine. I show her that with every thrust of my hips, making sure to build her pleasure as she tightens around me. Magnolia is going to wring the orgasm right out of me, but first—
Angling my hips a slightly different way, I make more contact with her clit. Magnolia’s eyes fly open as she comes. Her hand shoots up to cover her mouth and muffle the sounds. I need a hotel room. I need to take her away when the time is right and get her somewhere she can be loud. As it stands, I drink in every noise she makes.
“I love you,” I whisper into her ear, and she clenches around me again, finding her release. Still flushed, still clinging to me, she stares into my eyes and tells me she loves me too.
I hope it stays like this forever.
Epilogue
Magnolia
One year later
There’s nothing like autumn in South Carolina. Trust me on that one. At college, the fall was cold and bright and intense, but it has a gentler feel here by the sea. We’ve got the same crisp reds and oranges in the leaves, but the nights aren’t so frigid. Nothing seems bitter this fall. Some things might be bittersweet, but isn’t that how life goes?
Subconsciously, I spin the diamond on my ring finger and Renee laughs. “You look gorgeous, babe. Stop being so nervous.”
“It’s my wedding day, and it kind of snuck up on me.”
“How did it possibly sneak up on you?” Renee faces me in the lobby of the courthouse downtown, an elegant building with white pillars and old Southern charm. Hundreds of people have been married here over the years. Hundreds of brides have probably stood right on this creaky hardwood floor. I hope all of them had a best friend like Renee.
Even if she’s lying to me when she tells me she and Griffin are fine. I know there’s something going on there.
“Well, once you’re pregnant time does funny things, like speed up and go by in a whirlwind.”
Little hands on my belly emphasize the point. “Are you gonna have the baby today, Mama?” Bridget asks, her eyes big and round, staring at my belly. Kids don’t let you get away with anything. It would have made the waiting easier if we hadn’t told her. Oh well. Secrets are hard to keep when they’re such happy ones. My six-month bump rounds out the front of my white lace flowing dress. The dress is my something new for the wedding. The something old is my mother’s wristwatch. The blue and borrowed is the handkerchief Adeline, Brody’s mother, gave me the last time she was here. She said I was going to need it sooner rather than later, and she was right.
“Mama,” Bridget repeats her question, bringing me back to the now. “Is the baby coming today?
“Not today,” I tell her, ruffling her curly hair. Her dress is mine in miniature, complete with the delicate straps. She twirls with a laugh.
We kept meaning to plan a wedding, Brody and I, but that’s the thing about being so in love. It makes time do funny things. Brody and I jumped into life together without hesitation, like the way we do cannonballs off the side of a sailboat. His brewery has taken off, becoming a favorite destination around town in the evenings. Including the fried pickles. He said we had to have them since it was our first meal together. With my salt tooth, they’re my favorite thing on the menu. I never knew how many sporting events there were in the world until Iron Brewery became the popular hangout.
And then we found out I was pregnant. We weren’t trying, but we also weren’t not trying.
I’ll never forget the moment I told Brody the news. I hadn’t even had time to come out of the bathroom. He barged in, not knowing I was in there, and found me standing at the sink with the stick balanced on the ledge. “Magnolia,” he said, and I met his eyes in the mirror. I didn’t have to speak the words, and he knew.
The smile, charming and contagious, grew on his face as he stared down at the plastic stick with its positive indicator. He turned me in his arms and knelt down on the floor, his smile pressed against my belly. I’ve known a lot of love in my life, but it suffused me in that moment. I had no belly to speak of. I was a month pregnant at most. Brody placed trembling hands over my flat belly and leaned his forehead there too. “I’m going to be here every second,” he whispered, emotion thickening his voice. “I’m not going to miss a thing.” Hearing him say it healed the last regret in my heart. He couldn’t be there for my first pregnancy, but this one—
Well, he’s been there for everything. Every baby appointment and late-night craving.
So the plans for a huge wedding didn’t come together, but I can’t wait for another day to marry him. Good thing I won’t have to. We’ve got a reception planned for next summer and a lifetime together after that.
I take a last glance at my reflection in the window. Bridgey keeps calling us princesses. It’s perfection. All of this. The courthouse wedding and Renee at my side, and—
Brody. He steals my gaze from the white of my dress and my heart catches. This feeling is the one I’ll never get over no matter how long we’re together. He’s stunning. Blue eyes and broad shoulders, and a body that speaks of hard work. Th
e new dark suit he’s wearing skims strong thighs. Looking at his tight waist, heat curls in my core. That’s my soon-to-be husband.
He walks shoulder to shoulder with Griffin, who says something with a smile and Brody laughs. Robert walks in tow with them. A soft ache will always be there for him in my heart. I know he’s here for Bridget as much as he is me.
He was the first man in her life and he stands by that. “Whether we’re together or not now isn’t what matters, Mags,” he told me once. “Relationships are. You’re my best friend. And I’m not going to walk away just because I can’t have you in the same way anymore.”
I had no idea how close he and Brody would get. Robert is still one of my best friends and according to Brody, Robert’s given him insight into what makes me upset and little things that make me forgive more easily when I’m mad. I rolled my eyes hard at that one. I love how close they are, though. I get Wine Down Wednesdays and Brody goes out with the boys on Monday nights. The “boys” includes Robert. Their genuine friendship makes everything easy.
The rumor around town is that we’re a throuple. People talk, and I let them because I’m too busy laughing. I don’t care what people have to say. I only care that I have the people I love in my life. All of them.
When the three men push open the front doors, Brody doesn’t slow his gait. He strides straight to me and pulls me in for a long, deep kiss. I let out a startled gasp followed by a laugh, but I don’t miss a beat wrapping my arms around his strong shoulders.
“Hey,” Renee scolds, batting him away with shooing motions. “You’re not supposed to see the bride until she walks down the aisle.”
“Too late,” Brody says, a gruff edge in his voice. He still smiles at me like he did that first night years ago. The only thing that’s changed is that he never takes his hands off of me in public … or in private. He told me, “I’ll never get enough of you,” when I tried to shoo him out of bed this morning. There were things he had to take care of at the bar before the ceremony, but the man didn’t want to leave. He climbed over me instead so he could kiss down the side of my neck. Pulling at the neckline of my maternity top, he kissed me on the collarbone, and then lower.
Feeling the flush climb up my cheeks, I halt those thoughts where they are and focus on my any-minute-now husband.
“You’re the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen,” he murmurs, blue eyes looking deep into mine. “Daddy,” Bridget says and pouts. I’m surprised she heard since his voice was so low.
“Except for you.” Brody kneels down and scoops up Bridget in his arms while she laughs and laughs. “You’re the most beautiful,” he tells her sincerely.
“You look amazing, Mags.” Robert steps in, slipping his hands into his pockets. His smile is genuine. “I’m happy for you two.”
“Thanks.” Tears prick my eyes and I wish they wouldn’t.
“You really do make a good-looking couple,” Renee comments and I don’t miss Griffin’s focus on her at the word couple.
“You need anything before we go in?” Robert asks.
“A picture,” I answer suddenly.
“Excuse me.” The woman behind the check-in desk looks up, her eyebrows raising in surprise. “Could you take a photo of us? It’s my wedding day.”
“It sure is, honey.” She comes to take my phone with a broad smile and steps back. Robert instinctively moves away, but I grab his elbow and pull him in right next to Griffin, who stands beside Renee.
“I mean all of us,” I say. “I want everybody who’s important to be in this picture. And you’re all important.” With an easy exhale, I pat under my eyes, forcing all those emotions down.
“Not now,” warns Renee. “Keep your makeup pretty.”
“I know. I know,” I respond like a petulant child.
The five of us crowd together, with little Bridget right in the middle, and it really does feel like the perfect moment. These are my people. Robert and Renee, my best friends, who would do anything for me and my daughter. Brody, the love of my life. And Bridget, my bright star.
“Did I miss it?” a woman shouts, and I feel Brody perk up at my side, twisting to see who it is.
It’s his mom, who got in last night. It’s a bit of a surprise and I can’t hold back the grin. Behind her are Sharon, Autumn, and Bri, her sister. Brianna’s gotten close to us recently, with plenty of drama to spill at Wine Down Wednesdays.
“Mom,” he calls, and his face lights up with joy. I bet he doesn’t even realize how handsome he is when he smiles like that, or how it makes my heart go pitter-patter. “We said we were going to hold a reception later on for everybody to—”
“Oh, please.” She breezes past all of us and pulls Brody down to kiss both his cheeks. “You think I was going to let my only son get married without me there to see it? Hi, sweetheart.” She kisses the top of Bridget’s head. The two of them are thick as thieves whenever Brody’s mom visits. They took to each other right away. Kids can recognize kindred spirits, I think. “Besides, someone has to take pictures.” She balances a camera in her hands, winking at me.
A man sticks his head out the door of the courtroom. “Brody and Magnolia?”
In varied sundresses both Autumn and Sharon call out, “Just a sec,” as they pick up their pace to get to us.
“That’s us,” I say, maybe a little too loud. Robert laughs.
“Everybody ready?” asks Renee. “You ready, baby?” She and Adeline, Brody’s mom, have each taken one of Bridget’s hands, and the three of them look fit to burst with excitement.
“You ready?” Brody whispers, grinning at me while he takes my hand.
“I’m ready,” I proclaim, my fingers twining around his.
We lead our group, hand in hand and I didn’t expect it to feel like this. It’s a shotgun wedding, but the tears come regardless. He’s a steady presence next to me as my legs turn weak.
“I love you,” he murmurs to me as we go to begin our new lives together.
“I love you too.”
Asher
The courthouse is only a block away from where I stand, waiting on my order from the coffee shop. My gaze is focused on one particular woman wearing a beautiful sundress. I know she saw me; she’s only looked back once. She looked back, though, and that means something.
I never much liked weddings. My own parents never got married, so I grew up not knowing the point. As I watch the group of women follow Mags and Brody into the courthouse, I have to admit, I get it now. In a way.
The gray clouds are threatening to bring a downpour, but Robert told me Mags said it’s good luck if it does rain on their wedding day. If that’s true, I need to start standing out in storms. I’m going to need all the luck I can get.
“You going to the courthouse too?” Gail asks me, handing over a tall coffee. I give her a broad smile and shake my head. “I’ve got work, but I’ll be celebrating with them after.”
Her red lipstick and pinned-up hair have been Gail’s preference since I can remember. Everything about this town has been the same all my life.
Except her. Bri Holloway.
“You think the other couple are going to get married next?” Gail asks me and it’s only then that I realize she’s still standing with me next to the large paned-glass window. The wedding is the talk of the town after all, so I shouldn’t be surprised. According to … well everyone, it’s long overdue.
“You talking about Renee and Griffin?” I clarify, giving the nosy woman a side-eye.
She smirks at me and says, “You know I am.”
“Well, I don’t know much about that,” I lie. I know damn well what’s going on with them.
“Order up!” someone calls out from the back, and Gail hollers back that she’s coming.
“You have a good day, Asher,” she tells me, tapping the table before slipping her pen back into her apron.
“You too,” I answer her, but my tone slips, betraying me. A good day … If she would just talk to me, if she would just let me explain
, maybe then anything would feel good again.
From USA Today and Wall Street Journal best-selling romance author, Willow Winters, comes a second-chance story with a possessive, filthy-mouthed hero who’s not willing to lose the love of his life again.
I’ve got a thing for men who work with their hands.
I thought I learned my lesson years ago. But here I am, back in the small town I grew up in, staring down the man who broke my heart years ago.
I intended to tell him off.
My plan was to flip him the bird and prove to both of us that he hadn’t ruined me.
I sure as hell wasn’t going to sleep with him.
Until he tells me he’s sorry.
Until he gives me that smoldering look I still dream about.
Until he whispers just beneath the shell of my ear ... His breath trails down my neck and he leaves an openmouthed kiss right there, in that sensitive spot.
“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”
My treacherous heart wants more. More of him. More of us. But there’s a reason it didn’t work out before and when you don’t learn from your past mistakes, you’re bound to repeat them.
Don’t miss this sweet and sexy romance … Preorder A Little Bit Dirty today!
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