Worth the Wait (Very Personal Training Book 2)

by Karla Doyle

  “You love me every way?” He was ninety-nine percent sure what she meant. Having her spell it out wouldn’t hurt though. For clarity’s sake. Also, because he wanted to hear it again.

  “I love you when you’re funny, charming, serious, kind, sensitive, laidback, take-charge and every other way. I love you. As in, I’m in love with you. Wow, I’m really a rambling idiot without a plan.”

  He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. “Babe, you are never an idiot. And you can stop by to ramble about loving me anytime you want.”

  “You know what would be easier than that? If I could ramble it to you while we’re in bed at night.”

  “Sounds good to me. What night did you have in mind?”

  “Actually, I had multiple nights in mind,” she said, smoothing her palms over his chest.

  “Even better. When’s Lennox headed to the cottage?”

  “I don’t know when she’s going next.” A deep pink flushed her cheeks as she held his gaze. “I told her about Sachi, and that I love both of you. You and Sachi.”

  Mind—blown. “You love Sachi?”

  Light glinted off her hair as she nodded. “I do.”

  Holy goddamn, those two words sounded good coming from Leigh’s mouth.

  “Lennox is very excited to be part of Sachi’s life, if that’s something you want.”

  “I do.” Man, those two words didn’t sound bad from his mouth either.

  “I don’t want to tiptoe around when the girls are sleeping or wait until our crazy schedules have tiny blips of time to be together. I want you there, awake, asleep, and all the good stuff in between. Lennox is okay with it. She’ll be home with us. Most of the time, anyway.”

  “I don’t want to do anything to make her uncomfortable or upset. Are you sure she’s okay with me spending the night sometimes?”

  “If that’s what you want to do, then, yes. But I wasn’t talking about occasional sleepovers. I want you there every night.”

  “Every night.”

  “Yes,” she said, nodding.

  “As in, I’d keep some of our stuff in a drawer?”

  “As in, all of your and Sachi’s stuff would be there, taking up as many drawers and spaces as necessary.”

  The door chimed as his next training client walked into the club. The guy could wait. No matter how long it took to finish this conversation, he wasn’t walking away from it. Not even for a minute.

  “It sounds like you’re suggesting I move into your house.”

  “You’re almost right. I’m suggesting you move in and we make it our home.”

  Not much left him speechless. “I did not see that coming.”

  “I bet. I’m not known for taking impulsive, untested risks.” She tilted her head in that adorable way he loved. “But there’s this super-hot guy who seemed to make a habit of shocking me with big, crazy stuff. I ended up falling in love with him, so I figured I’d try his method. See if it works for me.”

  “It’s definitely working for you.” Holding her tighter, he lifted her off the ground, high enough to make her shriek.

  No complaint or protest left her mouth. Just the addictive, intoxicating sound of her laughter. Something he’d never get enough of, even if he heard it every day and night. Which he planned to do.

  Gently, he returned her to her feet. Slid his hands up her arms, over her shoulders, along the sides of her neck, then cupped her beautiful face in his palms. “Babe, I am big, crazy in love with you. Nothing would make me happier than to share every day and night with you. There’s just one thing I have to disagree with.”

  “What thing?”

  “It’s not a risk. Impulsive and untested, yes. But not risky. We’re great together. Our family is going to be great together.”

  “Do you have statistical calculations to back that up?”

  “Don’t need them. I just know.”

  “So do I,” she said, looking into his eyes so deeply, she could probably see his heart, which she owned.

  A purposeful “ahem” from the sidelines put the kibosh on the kiss he would’ve given her.

  “Sugar,” he said, winking.

  Her soft laugh against his mouth was a kiss of another kind. “It’s okay, we’ll pick this up later.”

  “Tonight. At home.”

  “Sounds perfect. I’ll wait up.” She backed out of the embrace, pointing at the white box on the counter while moving toward the door. “Don’t forget about that.”

  A loud rumble from his stomach answered better than anything he could say. About eating, anyway. “I love you,” he called, loud enough for everyone in the club to hear.

  Her beautiful lips curved higher. “I love you too.” Once again, she pointed at the bakery box. “Open it before you come home. It’s not just cookies.”

  He waited for her to disappear through the doors before turning to address his client. “Sorry to keep you waiting.” He reached over the counter to grab his tablet. “Ready to get started?”

  “You’re just going to leave the box there? You aren’t you going to open it?” This from the guy who hadn’t had the patience to wait through a little goodbye kiss two minutes ago.

  “I’ll do it after your session,” he said, waving the client toward the equipment.

  “I think she wanted you to open it right away. That’s what I’d do, if I were in your shoes.” The guy’s gaze drifted to the door, Leigh’s last location.

  Sam couldn’t blame the guy for being smitten. He’d been there. Was still there. Only, now he didn’t have to dream about her, he had her. Every day and night, starting tonight. He was living the dream, literally.

  “You’re sure you don’t mind?” he asked, setting the tablet on the counter, beside the box.

  The guy shook his head while edging closer.

  Hopefully, she hadn’t put anything NSFW in the box. Then again, hopefully she had. Let the nosy guy see exactly how damn lucky he’d gotten.

  She’d written his name in cursive across the top, punctuating it with a small heart.

  He hadn’t noticed that before. Maybe if he had, he wouldn’t have assumed the worst. Though, if he hadn’t, he would’ve missed out on her rambling confession of love. He wouldn’t trade that moment for all the tiny hand-drawn hearts in the world. Inside the box, a pink Post-It note sat on top of a pile of decorated cookies.

  Hey, math genius: How does 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 1? Use the cookies to solve the problem. (Then, hopefully, it won’t be a problem anymore!)

  Already knowing the answer to her riddle didn’t make it any less awesome. He set the note aside and picked up the top cookie.

  She’d used her skills to paint a cute rendering of Lennox’s face in the icing. Impressive, like all of her creations. He lifted the edible art from the stack, then laughed out loud. The next cookie held a likeness of Leigh, along with #selfie emblazoned diagonally across the bottom. So adorable. His face decorated the third cookie—that’d be the first one to hit his stomach. The next one though—wow.

  He picked up the shiny cookie as if it were glass. How she’d used icing to capture the essence of his infant daughter blew him away. A red heart framed Sachi’s perfect little face. Nobody was eating this cookie. Ever.

  Setting it aside, he continued to the fifth cookie, decorated with the façade of Leigh’s house. The sixth cookie had a picture of a classic red mailbox, on which she’d painted both their names. Cute. The last cookie in the box was heart shaped, rather than circular. Pink cursive I Love You topped the solid red surface.

  A second note lay in the bottom of the box.

  I asked the universe to send me some hot lovin’ and it put you squarely in my path. I couldn’t have asked for more. Only, every minute I spend with you makes me want more. More of the hot, hot, HOT sex—yes. But more of everything else with you too. That scares me, because having “more” with you wasn’t in my plan.

  The difference in our ages, my obsessive need to organize and control everything vs. your free-sp
irited approach to life, your completely unexpected role as sole-custodial parent of a newborn. All of it makes us a complicated fit. We can’t change any of those things and I wouldn’t want to, because none of them are wrong. We just need a new plan. ;)

  I love you, Sam. You and your sweet little angel. So I’m asking for more. A lot more. Come live with me. Let’s combine all of our individual complications and call it our life, our love, our family.

  “What’s the note say?” his client asked as Sam smoothed his thumbs over the small pink paper.

  “Everything a man could ever hope to hear.” He pulled out his wallet and tucked the note carefully inside. A keeper, just like its writer.

  Epilogue

  LEIGH

  Hey, Cinderella. It’s past closing time.

  Leigh smiled at the text on her screen while pushing the mop bucket to the back of the shop. She’d known Sam was outside before her phone chimed with his incoming message.

  She’d seen him walking toward the bakery. Even with her attention on cleaning, and a pane of commercial glass between them, he’d triggered her radar from five meters away. Living together hadn’t decreased her attraction. Nor Sam’s, based on the three orgasms he’d given her before going to sleep last night, and the two he’d delivered before bringing a cup of morning coffee to their bedside table. Their connection got stronger every day. In and out of the bedroom.

  “Babe, are you ready?” he called, from the front of the bakery.

  “Just putting my cleaning supplies away. I’ll be there in a minute.” No need to rush, she knew he’d wait. Patiently, even.

  They’d come a long way since that first June evening he’d called her Cinderella. A year of sharing their very full lives 24/7 had given them an opportunity to completely understand and respect each other. It hadn’t all been sunshine and butterflies, but the storms they’d encountered had been brief, and they’d always ended with a rainbow. She truly couldn’t ask for any more.

  She powered everything down at the breaker panel, collected her bag from the office and joined him up front.

  The sight of him sent her heart skipping. Lean and muscular, wearing a smile that could’ve won him any heterosexual woman, but was on his face just for her. This man, this sexy, smart, fun, kind, loving man, was hers.

  Tonight, she had him entirely to herself. To celebrate their “home-iversary,” he’d arranged for Sachi and Lennox to spend the night at his parents’ house. Living together allowed them to have sex regularly, but they still had to keep one ear open and their output volume low. They’d have no restrictions tonight. She couldn’t wait to get home and enjoy every delicious minute with him.

  “Hi, beautiful.” Hands on her waist, he lifted her onto the counter and filled the space between her legs with his hips, then dipped down for a kiss. His warm lips moved perfectly with hers, his talented tongue teasing into her mouth while his strong hands drew her closer, tight against the hard ridge of his fly. “Feel that?”

  “Yes,” she said, doing her best to grind against it. “I want it. I want it everywhere.”

  He groaned and thrust against her, in vain as it was. “You’re going to have it everywhere, babe. In your mouth, your pussy, your tight little ass. Fuck, the things I’m going to do to you…” He nuzzled the spot behind her ear that made her shiver. “I can’t wait.”

  “Then let’s go. Take me home and do everything to me.”

  He backed up, but held her in place when she tried to shimmy off the countertop. “Not yet. I need to talk to you about something first.”

  “Okay.” She remained calm on the outside, but her stomach was another matter. She hadn’t been on the receiving end of a Sam bombshell since Sachi’s arrival. What more could he possibly have to tell her? If he had to divulge it now, before their big night together, it must be serious.

  “I’d like to order a cake.”

  For a few seconds, all she could do was blink at him as the words sank in. “You’re delaying taking me home to fuck me every which way you can imagine because you want to order a cake?”

  He nodded. Even looked semi-serious while doing so. “It’s important.”

  “Okay,” she said, reaching for her order binder with a level of abruptness appropriate for this odd interruption. “What did you have in mind for your important cake?”

  “I’m thinking lemon with buttercream icing—”

  “Wait.” Hand raised, she shook her head. “That’s Lennox’s favorite cake.”

  “Mine too. Though I’m positive she’ll enjoy this one also.”

  “You’re being cryptic.”

  “You’re being impatient.”

  Admittedly, she was. But with good reason. Plopping the binder onto her lap, she sighed. “I want to be with you. I don’t want to waste a single minute.”

  “Hopefully, you won’t feel like this was a waste.” He reached beneath the low counter and pulled out a small cardboard shipping box. “I’d like to put this on the cake.”

  “Now you’re really being cryptic.” She placed the box on the binder. The packing tape had been sliced, leaving the top flaps standing half open. She pushed them aside and reached in to remove the bubble-wrapped item.

  “Here.” Sam helped by pulling the box away.

  “Thanks. What is it?” Even as she asked the question, her heart fluttered with the potential answer.

  “Open it.”

  She located the edge of the bubble wrap and unrolled it carefully, until the item within sat in her hands. A cake topper. A wedding cake topper, one with a bride and groom who looked uncannily familiar.

  “I’ve known you’re a forever woman since the first time we met,” Sam said, going down on one knee. “I’m hoping you’ll let me be your forever man.” He extended his hand to reveal a small black box, its lid open, showcasing a glittering diamond ring. “Will you marry me?”

  They’d never discussed marriage. Not seriously. Their relationship had been untraditional from the beginning, she hadn’t expected that to change. Yet here they were. About to do one of the most traditional things a couple could do.

  “You’re killing me here, babe.”

  “Is it your knee?” She bit the inside of her cheek, but the smile took ahold anyway. “Maybe you should hit the gym, get some personal training.”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “Keep teasing and you’re going to get some very personal training when we get home.”

  “Is that any way to talk to your future wife?” she asked, wagging one finger at him.

  “Absolutely.” Smiling his irresistible smile, he caught her hand, then slid the ring onto its new and permanent home. “My future wife likes it when I talk dirty to her.”

  Her skin heated beneath his touch, the sparks racing to all the best points in her body. “That’s true, she does.” She shimmied off the counter to occupy the sliver of space in front of him. Gaze locked with his, she ran her fingers through his hair. “Your future wife likes it even more when you make good on all the dirty talk.”

  “Then I’d better take her home and get started,” he said, rising to a stand. “I don’t want to waste a single minute.”

  Playful teasing had always been a mainstay of their communication. This moment required more. Sam deserved more.

  “You okay?” he asked, when she held her ground, rather than allow him to lead her to the door.

  “There are no wasted minutes with you. I want to make sure you know that.”

  “I do.” He brought her left hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, right above the engagement ring. “But it’s nice to hear you say it anyway.”

  A hint? Maybe so. Either way, she’d say the words she should already have spoken. “Yes, I would love to be your wife.”

  “Good thing.” He winked. “Because I already ordered the cake, and I’m pretty sure the deposit is nonrefundable.”

  “Deposit? What deposit?”

  “The one I’m going to make when I get you home, future Mrs. Jac
obs.”

  She wrapped her arms around him as he swept her off her feet. Something he’d been doing since the first time he walked into her bakery. Something she knew with her whole heart he’d be doing for the rest of their lives.

  Thank you for reading Worth the Wait!

  I hope you enjoyed reading Sam and Leigh’s sexy & sweet romance as much as I loved writing it. If so, I would greatly appreciate you spreading the word, whether by telling your friends, or leaving a review or star rating at your favorite online book retailer or anywhere you enjoy discussing books. Again, thanks for reading!

  Sincerely,

  Karla Doyle

  Also by Karla Doyle

  Body of Work (Very Personal Training—Book 1)

  Cup of Sugar (Close to Home—Book 1)

  Icing on the Cake (Close to Home—Book 2)

  Game Plan

  More Than Words

  Gift Wrapped

  Crossing the Line

  Stealing Home

  Body of Work

  Very Personal Training series—Book 1

  Cassie has fantasized about the ginger-haired personal trainer for months. Brian is friendly, but never more—until he appears on her doorstep and shows her how much her flirting has affected him. The more she’s with him, the more Cassie wants the fairytale, not just hot sex with the 6’2″ hunk. She can give Brian full access to her body, but after her ex’s reaction to her explicit photography business, sharing her secrets, and her heart, isn’t an option.

  Brian knows better than to break the rules. Don’t date gym members. Keep his inner beast on a leash during sex. Cassie tested his resolve on number one her first day in the gym. Shattered the second rule when he touched her. The petite pixie shares his preferences in the bedroom. She makes him laugh and love—but past mistakes haunt him, emotionally and tangibly. Cassie’s worth the price he’ll pay for breaking the rules. Now he must convince her to give him her heart.