“That’s their problem,” I responded with a shrug. “Let’s get back to celebrating my own felony that turned into a happily ever after.”
My arm snaked around her waist, and I hauled her over to snuggle her into my side. She melted into me and sighed. “You got lucky, Julian Storm.”
“Don’t I know it,” I agreed with absolute seriousness.
I lifted the champagne from the silver bucket and reluctantly released my wife to serve it. Before I could pour a glass, Anna stopped my actions with a hand on my arm.
“You’re going to have to ask the kitchen for some sparkling cider because we have something else to celebrate tonight.” She beamed at me.
It took a few seconds for her words to sink in, but when they did, I barely restrained myself from jumping to my feet and whooping with joy. “You’re pregnant?” I marveled as I placed my palm over her belly.
Anna nodded with a blinding smile.
“You’re right, sweetheart. We have so much more to celebrate,” I agreed, my voice almost reverent and filled with awe.
“Let’s start with you handing over those sweets, husband.” Her eyes were glued to the little plate, and she licked her lips. It had me thinking about how amazing her lips and tongue felt when she was feasting on my cock. She broke the spell and elicited a bark of laughter from me when she smacked my arm and glared. “Never stand between a pregnant woman and food, Julian.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I grinned as I retrieved the desserts and set them in front of her.
She lifted one to her lips but paused and gave me a cheeky smirk. “Don’t worry, you’ll get your dessert later.”
I laughed and cuddled her close, kissing the top of her head. “Damn, I love you,” I murmured with a brief hug.
Anna dropped her head back and gazed up at me, love shining in her emerald eyes. “You brought magic into my life, Julian Storm, but my love for you will never disappear.”
Epilogue
Anna
“Mommy! I neeeed you!”
Our five-year-old screamed the four words that guaranteed I'd come running. I halted to a sudden stop when I found him sitting on his knees on a chair at the kitchen table with a huge grin on his precious face and a twinkle in his green eyes. He looked so much like his daddy, it made my heart melt even more every time I looked at him. But he was also a handful—just like my husband.
There wasn’t any blood or sign of injury. The only thing out of place was the banana in front of him that he must’ve grabbed from the bowl on the counter where I always kept fresh fruit. “Did you climb up to get that banana?”
“No, Mommy,” Harry denied, shaking his head earnestly.
“How did you get it?” I asked as I walked over to the chair next to him and sat down.
He fidgeted in his seat and pointed at the banana. “Daddy got it for me so I could show you a magic trick!”
“A magic trick, huh?” I peered down at the yellow peel and didn’t notice anything out of place. “I bet it’s a good one, too.”
“Uh-huh! It’s the bestest one I’ve ever learned,” Harry assured.
I smiled at how seriously he’d answered. “Do you want to show it to me now?”
“Yup!” He nodded, the smile wiping from his face as he concentrated on the banana. “See how it’s not open or anything? It’s just a regular banana.”
“It looks like a yummy one to me,” I agreed.
“I’m gonna use my super magic powers that Daddy gave me to cut the banana inside the peel!” Harry proclaimed in a loud voice.
“Ooh! I’m so excited to see your trick.”
He stared at the banana before yelling, “Abracadabra!” Then he lifted his hand and dropped it down in a karate chop motion, stopping directly above the middle of the banana. “That should do it.”
I made a big show of bending over to look at the peel. “I don’t see anything different.”
“That’s because it’s magic, Mommy.” Harry flashed me a look that clearly said I should’ve known this already, making me laugh.
“Oh, right! It wouldn’t be much of a trick if I could figure it out just from looking at the peel, I guess.”
“Exactly.” He nodded in satisfaction and picked up the banana. “You can’t see that it’s broken in half on the inside, but it is. Here, I’ll show you.”
He wrapped his small hand around the top and tried to get the peel to pull down, but struggled to open it. “Do you want some help?”
“Uh-huh,” he agreed, handing it over. “But only with this part ’cause I already did the best stuff.”
“I get it, buddy,” I laughed as I tugged the peel partway down to get it started before giving it back to him. “You’re the star of this show. I’m just an assistant.”
Harry grinned as he undid the rest of the peel, and the top half of the banana fell into the palm of his hand. “See, I cut it with magic!”
“Your daddy better watch out. It won’t be too long before you’ll be ready to take over his show with tricks like that.”
“Maybe I should rethink teaching the boy all my best tricks,” Julian teased as he walked into the kitchen. He had our two-year-old daughter, Krystyn, in his arms. Her head rested against his shoulder, her eyes were closed, and her thumb was in her mouth.
“It looks like someone wasn’t ready to wake from their nap,” I chided as I reached up to take her from him. It wasn’t a rare occurrence for Julian to accidentally wake up one of the kids because he couldn’t resist checking on them. Using the monitor wasn’t good enough for him, even though it had a camera. He wanted to see them with his own eyes and didn’t care if he interrupted their nap because they’d wake up wanting more cuddles than usual.
After he got her settled on my lap, he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “She was already tossing and turning when I peeked in on her.”
“Mm-hmm, sure she was.” I flashed him a grin to let him know I wasn’t upset.
“I showed Mommy the banana buster trick, Daddy,” Harry cried.
“Did she like it?” Julian asked, reaching out to ruffle our son’s hair.
Harry nodded as he swallowed the big chunk of banana he’d shoved into his mouth. He was in the middle of a growth spurt and was eating pretty much everything he could get his hands on. Somehow in the short time I’d been talking to Julian, he’d managed to finish the entire piece of fruit.
“Go wash your hands, sweetie,” I instructed, smiling as he scampered off to the bathroom. Tilting my head back, I smiled up at my husband. “That was an impressive magic trick for a five-year-old.”
Julian shrugged his broad shoulders. “What can I say? The kid’s got talent.”
“I’m not surprised since his dad is one of the best magicians in the world.”
“Only one of the best?” he echoed on a growl, narrowing his eyes.
“Okay, okay. The best as far as I’m concerned,” I laughed.
He bent down to brush his lips over mine. “As far as you’re concerned, I’d better be the only magician that matters.”
I flashed him a sweet smile full of love. “With all the magic you’ve brought into my life, you definitely are.”
Extra Epilogue
Anna
I gasped when I opened up the envelope that had just been delivered and saw the new flyer mockups I needed to approve. The glossy 8x10 photos all featured a gorgeous blonde in a glittery, sleek blackbody suit, posing seductively under spotlights, on a raised platform. There were deep red curtains parted behind her, revealing a beautiful, antique box of mystery. The same type of box my husband had kidnapped me in a decade ago.
The Lenox Hotel and Casino Present:
Renowned Illusionist,
Lulu Abbot
This had to be a mistake. There was no way Drew was replacing Julian. Ten years here and he still sold out every single show. Not to mention that I was the head of his PR department! Why hadn’t I known about this before now?
I tossed the offending mockups onto
my desk and hit the speaker button on my phone. Then I hit a speed dial and stood up to pace while I waited for them to answer. Drew’s line rang and rang, and when it finally went to voicemail, I glared at the phone as though he would feel my anger through it. Drew almost always got back to me within a short period of time when he missed my call.
But I was fuming and didn’t want to wait, besides I had a niggling feeling he might be avoiding me. If ever there was a time to circumvent the chain of authority, it was at that moment. I stabbed a different number on my phone and resumed pacing.
After two rings, Autumn—Drew’s wife—picked up. “Hey, Anna! Looking for a lunch date?”
“What the hell, Autumn?” I practically shouted. “I need to talk to your husband right now. And you might want to say your goodbyes because next time I see him, I’m going to kill him!”
“Oh, crap,” Autumn whispered. There was a muffled sound, and then I heard her yell, “Did you send those flyers to Anna to approve, Drew?” A low voice murmured something in return, and Autumn groaned. “What were you thinking?”
He must have walked up beside her because I heard his answer clearly. “Well, obviously, I wasn’t thinking. It was just a habit. Sorry, baby.”
“You should be apologizing to me and my husband, you jerk!” I yelled, hoping he heard me.
I gasped when there was muffled laughter on the other end and tears filled my eyes. “I thought we were friends. I—”
Julian chose that moment to stroll into my office. When he saw my state of distress, he rushed over and took me in his arms, instantly calming me. “What the fuck? Why are you crying?”
“Um, so that’s my husband’s fault,” Autumn piped up through the speaker.
Julian was startled at first by the disembodied voice coming out of nowhere, but he recognized Autumn and glanced down to see my phone in my hand. “What are you talking about?”
Autumn sighed. “I’m so sorry.”
“You can’t honestly be firing Julian?!” I yelled.
“Oh, shit.” It was a little freaky when Drew and Julain said the same thing at the same time. But Jullian’s face was the only one I could see and he was staring at my desk.
“Drew accidentally sent the flyers to Anna instead of Kyler.”
Kyler worked directly under me, managing the front line with our staff. Were they firing me too?
Julian groaned. “Thanks for the heads up,” he said calmly. “Tell Drew he owes me. Big time.” Before anyone could say another word, he lifted my phone from my hands and hung up.
“I don’t understand what’s happening…” I trailed off, thoroughly confused by Julian’s laid back attitude when our employers and, I thought, friends were giving us the axe.
Julian wrapped his arms around me and kissed my cheek, then he looked down at me with a rueful smile. “Drew hired Lulu at my suggestion. I saw her act last year at The Venetian and I knew she’d be a good replacement”—he put a finger over my lips when he saw I was about to speak—”temporary replacement for me. She’s filling in, baby. Not permanent.”
“Okaaaay, then why was everyone hiding it from me?” I queried, my mouth curled down in frustration.
“Because the reason she’s taking my place for a while is—or was supposed to be—a surprise.”
My brows shot up and Julian chuckled. “I’m making us both disappear.” He winked at me, which set off a group of butterflies fluttering in my stomach. It didn’t matter how long we’d been together, he still had that effect on me.
“Stop talking in magician-speak and spit it out,” I snipped, less angry and frustrated, but still a little annoyed.
“Baby, I’m taking you on that European vacation you’ve always talked about.”
My jaw literally dropped, and my eyes went wide. “What?”
Julian laughed and his green eyes sparkled. “Yep. I paid attention to everything you said and started making plans years ago. But I knew we wouldn’t be able to do it until the kids were a little older because you wouldn’t want to be so far away from them for a long period of time. Plus, it took a while for me to find a replacement I felt was worthy of the job.”
“How long?”
“Well, we’ll be gone a month—”
“A month?” Was he nuts? I wasn’t leaving my babies for a whole month.
“Baby, you wanted me to spit it out, so close your pretty mouth and let me speak. Or I’ll close it for you.”
I thought about how he would accomplish that and heat trickled through my body, going straight to my core and making my panties damp. A slow, sinful smile spread across his face, proving he knew exactly where my mind had gone.
“You can talk some more later, and I’ll give you a demonstration,” he teased with a smirk. I nodded and he went on. “You and I will only be by ourselves for two weeks. The kids will join us for the last two.”
“I—I don’t know what to say.” My mind was whirling as excitement began to build inside me. Was this really going to happen?
“It’s definitely happening,” he answered, making me wonder for the zillionth time if he should be doing a mind reader bit in his show. “I just know my wife.”
Suddenly, he released me, only to sweep me up into his arms and stalk out of my office. I sighed, daydreaming about all the romantic places we were going to visit, and desire unfurled inside me as I thought about all the yummy, dirty things we’d be doing while we were there.
“As for what you should say,” he drawled. “I’ve got some ideas.”
Not surprisingly, he requested to hear me calling his name...screaming seemed an acceptable response as well.
Several hours later, I was exhausted from all the “talking,” but it had been worth every word.
“I hope the hotel rooms I booked are soundproofed,” he mumbled as he cuddled me into his chest. “Because damn, baby. I don’t get to hear you like that very often, and it is hot as fuck. For two whole weeks there won’t be any kids to worry about waking up.”
“What about the other people staying at the hotel?” I giggled.
“If they don’t want to hear me make my wife scream, then they need to find someone to fuck who will drown it out.”
He was so matter-of-fact, I burst into laughter, but it quickly became a moan when the movement rubbed Julian’s thickening cock against my clit. He hadn’t pulled out of me yet, and in the time it took to roll us over so I was straddling him, he’d hardened completely and was stretching my pussy around his swollen shaft.
“Show me, baby,” he demanded as he began to move. “Ride my cock and show me how you’re going to shout the walls of our hotels down.” He grabbed my hips as I worked myself up and down, speeding up as my climax loomed in front of me.
When I fell over the edge, Julian punched his hips up and buried himself as deep as possible. “Anna! Fuck!” he roared.
When I could think clearly again, I smirked. I wasn’t the only one who was going to make plenty of noise.
Kiss Me, Baby
Amelia Flores was in Vegas for a bachelorette party when the bride dared her to kiss a stranger. The shy food blogger didn’t plan to follow through with her cousin’s challenge until she spotted Zack Parker. They’d never met before, but the attraction she felt toward him was explosive.
It wasn’t every day a woman strolled up and gave Zack the best kiss of his life, but life as a single dad had taught the billionaire to recognize life’s bounties. It took a single touch of her lips for him to realize the mysterious beauty was meant to be his. Now he was going to pull out all the stops to make her his wife.
1
Amelia
“C’mon, Amelia, don’t be a stick in the mud. Pick a dare instead of truth.”
I wanted to stomp my foot in frustration, but I’d probably end up spraining my ankle since my cousin talked me into wearing three-inch spiky heels when I usually went with flats or wedges. The only thing worse was the sparkly halter top and skinny jeans she’d forced me to pour myself into. Bu
t I couldn’t say no—not when we were in Vegas for her bachelorette party. Unfortunately, agreeing to stuff I didn’t want to do had been the theme of the day, which didn’t bode well for me. This was only the first day of our trip, and odds were good the stuff she wanted me to do was going to get worse as time went on.
Being the only sober one in the bunch was turning out to be a lot less fun than I’d expected—and my bar had already been set pretty low. But I was Maria’s maid of honor, so I couldn’t skip out on the trip.
“Are you sure you want to keep playing truth or dare?” I asked for about the tenth time in the past hour. “We’re almost at the hotel, and it’s been a long day.”
“No excuses!” cried one of Maria’s friends from college.
“Yeah, pick a dare!” the others chimed in.
“Fine,” I huffed. “Dare.”
Maria’s eyes lit up, and she rubbed her hands together in excitement. “I want you to kiss a guy before we get back to the suite.”
Kiss a guy?! I figured whatever she’d dare me to do was going to be outside my comfort zone, but I hadn’t expected her to tell me to accost a stranger. Especially when she knew darn well that I was a virgin. Not that she was daring me to have sex with some guy I picked up off the street, but still. Maria knew me well enough to know how weird I’d feel going up to some guy and laying a kiss on him. Then I brightened as I had an idea—maybe if I kept the kiss PG, I wouldn’t die of embarrassment.
Maria crushed my hopes when she added, “And it has to be a real kiss on the lips with tongue.”
I wrinkled my nose and heaved a deep sigh, my shoulders dropping as I trudged along with Maria and the rest of her bridal party. The next six blocks were torture. My feet were killing me, and the girls pointed out about a dozen guys they thought I should kiss. By the time we were less than a block away from our hotel, I was starting to seriously worry about how much they’d all had to drink because their picks were terrible. The last one had been walking into an attorney’s office whose awning advertised quickie divorces. He’d been wearing a tux, and the woman with him was still in her bridal gown. Presumably, the guy had gotten married last night and already regretted the decision. Kissing him in front of the woman he was about to divorce was out of the question because I definitely didn’t need that kind of drama in my life.
Vegas, Baby: Volume 3 Page 7