by Linzi Baxter
“I’m never as bad as he was.”
“Ha,” Kaylene said as she walked up and gave me a hug. “Not even back a little while, and you cause another scene.”
“Go inside, Kaylene. It’s dangerous out here!” Jared barked.
Kaylene looked from the guy on the ground clutching his leg to Jared. “I think you have it under control, and I wanted to see my friend. I waited behind the door until I saw you shoot him and kick the gun away. Let me tell you, that was sexy as hell.”
Jared looked at her in disbelief. “You think me shooting someone is sexy?”
“Don’t judge, we all have our quirks. I’m going to take Lily inside while you guys handle this mess.”
I followed Kaylene up to the office, and she got me caught up on the latest gossip. Jacob wouldn’t let HR fill my position because he knew I would be coming back. And I was—I couldn’t wait to get back to work. I’d missed everyone at NSS.
That night, I lay in Jacob’s bed. We’d just finished making love again, and my body was draped over his. I needed to feel my body pressed against his after almost getting killed. Everyone who had come after me was behind bars. The man admitted he was the same person who had attacked me the first time.
I pushed my hand behind Jacob’s back and rested my head on his shoulder. He loved me. I still couldn’t believe he’d said it. Greg, over the years, would tell me he loved me after I was crouched on the floor, crying in pain.
Jacob never yelled at me for being stupid and running away. He just kept pulling me into his arms and telling me how happy he was to have me back. Tommy wouldn’t leave his side for most of the night and I had to draw the line when he wanted to sleep in the bed with us. I needed alone time with Jacob.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly.
“I understood why. I just wished you would’ve had more faith in me to fix the problem. Hell, I would’ve gone with you. But you wouldn’t stop and listen.”
“You would’ve gone with us? Then why didn’t you?”
“Honestly? You hurt my feelings, and I knew we had to take care of things around here first to make it safe for you and Tommy to return.”
“Kat said everything was cleared up over a week ago, and you knew where I was.”
“Greg was back in custody a week after you were gone. As for Rachele, once I set the trap, she walked right into it. She believed I would get back together with her after everything she did. The police swooped in and took her to jail. I’m going to have to go to the trial and testify against her.”
“I hate her,” I whispered. “Why did she wait so many years to want to be with you?”
“She snorted or shot up all her money. When Neal helped me look further into her family, it turned out her father lost his fortune in a bad investment. Neither she nor her family have money. She won’t have to worry now,” Jacob told me as he pulled me in closer.
“I can’t imagine how someone could spend fifty million dollars.”
“She never thought I would divorce her. When I really started to push for it, that’s when she got the idea about her and I.. I found out later on that she had a friend at NSS who was giving her information. That’s how she learned about you so fast.”
“Did the person get fired?”
“Yes.” Jacob shifted me onto my back. “That’s enough talking about my ex-wife while I’m naked in bed with the woman I love. God, I missed you.” Jacob leaned down and pressed a kiss to the side of my neck and ran his fingers over my nipple. My body responded to his touch immediately. “You can’t leave me again like that,” Jacob told me as he ran another kiss along my neck. “You and Tommy are mine.”
“I’m yours”—it was hard to concentrate with his lips running along my neck—“as long as you’re mine.”
“You’ve had my heart since the second you called my brother an asshat.”
Jacob pressed his erection against my leg. I couldn’t believe he was already hard again. He’d brought me home right after we finished with the police, stripped my body naked, and fucked me in the living room. We lay on the floor exhausted for at least an hour then got ready and broke Tommy out of pre-K.
After we tucked the sweet boy into bed, Jacob had his way with me again. I pushed my leg out to rub myself against him.
“Lily,” Jacob warned, pressing his hand to my hip to still me.
I rolled to my side and captured Jacob’s lips. His soft lips melded against mine. I reached between our bodies and grabbed his member. He was already hard and ready to take me any second.
“Wait.”
“I want you, Jacob. Why are you making me wait?”
“We’ve had a lot of sex today. Aren’t you sore? I don’t want to hurt you.”
I pushed on his shoulder, so he lay on his back. I climbed on top and slid down his member. “No.”
Jacob let out a groan. As I slowly worked my way up and down, it felt as good as the first time. I didn’t think I could ever get enough of him.
Jacob quickly shifted and flipped me onto my back. “This is going to be quick.”
I bit down on his shoulder as he thrust into me. His pace was fast and urgent. My orgasm came quickly, and I screamed his name into his shoulder to muffle the sound of my voice.
He thrust in a few more times before he went over the edge. Jacob moved next to me and pulled my body into his.
“We didn’t use a condom,” he said.
I hadn’t even thought about that. We hadn’t used one earlier in the day, either, and I wasn’t on any type of birth control. “Do you want kids?”
“Yes.” He didn’t stop for a second to think about the answer. “Do you?”
“I never really thought about it after Tommy. He was a lot of work to raise pretty much by myself.”
“I would be there every step of the way.”
Jacob rested his hand on my flat stomach and whispered, “I love you” in my ear.
Epilogue - Jacob
I woke up to Lily’s soft snoring. Even with her back in my arms, I’d a hard time falling asleep. I glanced at the clock—it was close to seven, and Tommy would be getting up soon. I softly disentangled myself from Lily’s arms. She let out the cutest whine when I left the bed and headed to the bathroom.
After I took care of business, I slipped on a pair of running shorts. The night before, we had made love numerous times, as we had each night since she came back. I looked in the mirror and smiled at the man I saw. The dark circles had cleared up a couple weeks before. After Lily and Tommy had left, I had thrown myself into my work, staying at the office late every night and coming back before it came up.
I rested my hip against Tommy’s door and watched him play for several minutes. The boy was doing fantastically in school and had made many new friends. He still played with his police toys now and again, but he really liked the rockets. That night, there was going to be another launch. We normally didn’t have many so close together, but after the technology Jared and Neal designed with the facial recognition software worked so well, the government asked us to launch another one to sit over North Korea. They hoped the technology could help find missing prisoners of war. It was a long shot, as the software would only pick up if they moved the men to another location.
“What’cha playing with?” I asked.
“I’m getting my men ready for launch tonight.” Tommy looked at his rocket before turning back to me. “Can I meet a real astronaut one day?”
I had already lined up a surprise for him. Sebastian Cole, an astronaut with NASA, would be sitting with us for the launch. After his last flight, he’d come down with something and hadn’t been cleared to return to duty yet. NSS had made a special arrangement to borrow Sebastian from NASA while he’s grounded. We used his knowledge and expertise with the rocket design that is launching our latest satellite. I asked him if he would sit with us during the launch so Tommy could talk with him and he agreed.
I walked in and messed with his hair before I sat on the floor next to him. Thr
ee months had passed since Lily and Tommy returned. I wanted her to be my wife, and I didn’t want to wait any longer.
Tommy looked up from his toy. “I like living with you,” he said before looking back at the rocket and making an engine sound.
A smile tugged at my lips. “I like living with you too. Tommy, can I ask you a question?”
The little boy nodded.
“I want to ask your mommy to marry me. How do you feel about that?”
The little boy bit his lip. “Can I call you daddy?”
I blinked a few times to keep the tears from forming. “Yes.”
He threw himself into my arms and hugged me tightly. I closed my eyes and squeezed his waist.
“What’s going on in here?” Lily asked from the door. I quickly wiped my eyes before I turned. Her blonde hair was up in a bun, and she had a white bath towel wrapped around her. God, I was the luckiest man in the world. She searched my eyes for an answer. It wasn’t unusual for her to find me in Tommy’s room, playing with him in the morning, but me crying while doing it wasn’t the norm. Tommy climbed off my lap.
“Oh, Mommy... Daddy’s going to marry you.”
Lily’s breath hitched, and I closed my eyes and shook my head. I guess I should’ve told him it was a secret. Lily sauntered into the room. I pulled her down so she was on my lap and captured her lips.
“Ew, Daddy!”
Lily pulled back and rested her head on my shoulder.
“So we're getting married?” she teased.
“I planned to ask you tonight during the launch. But now I can’t wait for your answer.”
“What was the question again?” She had a big smile on her face.
Tommy laughed at his mom.
“Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
I picked her up, carried her back to our bedroom, and tossed her on the bed. I quickly rummaged through my jeans on the floor. I had been carrying the ring around with me for a week.
She gasped when she saw the emerald-cut diamond. Sasha and Kaylene had helped me pick it out when Lily went to have lunch with Tommy one day at school. “It’s breathtaking.”
“Just like you.”
“I love you,” she said as she looked at the ring.
I couldn’t hold back my smile. I had the perfect family, and I couldn’t wait to give Tommy a brother or sister.
The End
Author Note’s
White Hat Security Series
Hacker Exposed
Royal Hacker
Misunderstood Hacker
Undercover Hacker
Hacker Revelation
Hacker Christmas
Hacker Salvation
Nova Satellite Security Series
(White Hat Security Spin Off)
Pursuing Phoenix - Sept 3, 2019
Immortal Dragon
The Dragon’s Psychic
The Dragon’s Human - Sept 26, 2019
Montana Gold (Brotherhood Kindle World)
Grayson’s Angel
Noah’s Love
Bryson’s Treasure - 2019
A Flipping Love Story (Badge of Honor World)
Unlocking Dreams
Unlocking Hope - 2019
Siblings of the Underworld
Hell’s Key
Hell’s Future - Aug 20, 2019
Visit linzibaxter.com for more information and release dates.
Join Linzi Baxter Newsletter at Newsletter
Grayson’s Angel - Preview
Kara Davidson clenched her teeth and considered ignoring the call. She glanced at the iPhone, wishing a different name had flashed across the screen. This was the seventh call in the same day. He wasn’t going stop until she answered. A mixture of remorse and anger churned in her gut. He was her last family member, and she should answer to find out what he wanted. The only reason he ever called was because he wanted something from her.
She took a few breaths to get her emotions under control. Then she gripped the steering wheel with one hand and clicked the hands-free button with the other. “Hello, Father.”
“Is this Ms. Davidson?” The voice on the other end was a woman with a scratchy voice, probably from too many years of smoking.
“Yes. May I ask why you have my dad’s phone?”
“This is Bozeman Health. We tried calling you from our main line many times, and you didn’t answer. Your father was admitted to the hospital this morning, and you are listed as next of kin.”
The only missed calls on her phone were from her dad’s number. This lady was mistaken if they called her from the hospital. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name. Can I speak to my father?”
“Mr. Davidson is in an induced coma. We feel it would be best if someone from his family came as soon as possible. The doctors are uncertain if he will make it.” There was a long pause on the other end of the phone before she continued. “When can I tell the doctor you’ll be here?”
“I will try to find a flight tomorrow.”
The hospital employee clicked the phone off before she could ask more questions regarding her father’s health. Kara would make it to Bozeman tomorrow to see her father. She would look at his chart herself and make up her own mind. Kara tossed the phone onto the passenger seat and screamed, letting out the frustrations of the past five years.
After her mother died, Frank, her father, turned to booze and gambling to deal with his depression. He started to hit her during his drunken stupors. When her father didn’t look like he would change his ways, Kara packed up her life and moved to Denver, Colorado. She had watched one of her parents die in front of her eyes. She would not watch her father kill himself.
“Fuck,” she muttered as she shoved open the door of her MINI Cooper. After that call, she would spend her nice, long, relaxing weekend in Bozeman, Montana. Kara had spent the last six days working fifteen-hour shifts, so she could enjoy a much-needed long weekend getting caught up on the latest romance novels. Her father always had issues at the most inopportune moments.
The last time her father had called, he’d needed five grand for bail. He had started a bar fight and put the other man in the hospital. That wasn't the first time he had been arrested for the same crime, and the judge had set a high bail because of his many charges. Kara had been saving up for a house. To get her father out of jail, she’d had to take the money out of the savings she was planning to use for the down payment. Kara had nearly replenished her savings, and her father was in trouble again.
A twinge of guilt pricked her conscience. The lady had said he was in a coma. He might not make it out of whatever problem he’d gotten himself into this time, and there was no doubt in Kara’s mind whatsoever that getting hospitalized was her father’s own fault.
She would be going home for the first time in five years. Kara didn’t like going home because everything in Montana reminded her of her mother. When she was home, not a day went by when a scent or an action wouldn’t trigger those memories. In fact, just thinking of home triggered them.
She replayed the memory of her mother demanding the doctors release her from the hospital, so she could attend her daughter’s college graduation. Her mom, whose name was Emma, had withered away to bones by that time, but she stood up to the doctors and demanded they figure out a way for her to attend. The smile that had spread across her face when Kara walked across the stage was worth it. A few weeks later, she passed away when a blood clot traveled to her brain and the doctors couldn’t fix it in time.
At her apartment, Kara put her key in the doorknob but realized the door wasn’t locked. She reached into her oversized purse and pulled out a can of pepper spray while dialing 911 with her other hand. She was ready to hit the send button if there was trouble. Her apartment wasn’t in a bad part of town, but she always kept the door locked, even when she was home. Kara pushed the door open wide and found Stephanie, her best friend, standing in the small white kitchen, pouring a glass of wine.
Kara let o
ut an aggravated sigh. “I don’t care if you come over, but please lock the door, even when you are here.” She entered the apartment and set her things on the white vinyl counter. “I almost called the police and pepper-sprayed you.”
Steph took a sip of her wine. “Maybe we would’ve been lucky and a sexy cop would’ve shown up. It’s been a while since I slept with someone.”
“I love nothing more than seeing you, but you normally call. What’s going on?” Kara grabbed the bottle of wine and filled a glass to the rim. She didn’t care about etiquette. She had too much on her mind.
Steph grabbed a container of chocolate ice cream and two spoons and went to sit on the couch. Kara took her glass of wine and followed.
“Today was the last day of your insane stretch of workdays. I came to celebrate with you. How was your day?”
Kara could tell something was going on with Steph. The tension in her eyes was enough to give it away. She also knew her friend would talk about it when she was ready.
Kara grabbed a spoon and enjoyed a bite of chocolate ice cream before talking about her messed-up day. “It started with a drunk puking on me. A lady got a phone stuck in her honey pot. My father is in the hospital, and I’m flying home tomorrow.”
Steph’s reaction to her news was priceless, Kara thought. Her mouth was opening and closing as if she were a fish out of water.
“Clearly, you got the puke cleaned off.” She waved her hands in Kara’s direction. “Let’s start with the tunnel-of-love lady. Your father can wait.”
“What more can I add? The lady got her iPhone Plus stuck in her vertical smile.”
“I want to know why.”
Kara reached forward to grab her laptop off the coffee table. She needed to look for tickets to Montana. But the story was a nice distraction from dealing with her father’s issue.