“Yes, baby.”
“Oh, God, please,” I growl as he circles his hips, sliding his cock through my wet lips.
“You’re always so ready for me, little one.” He pulls his hips back and then slowly pushes inside me. “God, so tight.”
Tears gather and fall into my hairline.
Matt scowls down at me, kisses my mouth gently, caressing my hair and my cheeks. “What is it?”
“I didn’t think we’d ever be here again,” I whisper. “I love you so much.”
He closes his eyes and rests his forehead against mine as he sinks into me and rests there.
“I know,” he answers. “I don’t ever want to lose you, Nic. You put your arms around me, and I’m home. I’m permanently in love with you. Don’t ever forget that.”
Epilogue
Two months later
~Matt~
“I can’t believe you talked me into letting you drive my car.” I smirk and shake my head then glance over to see that she’s driving at least ten miles per hour over the speed limit. “Slow down, Nicole.”
“I love to drive, and I never get to anymore.”
“I’ll buy you a car,” I remind her and hold my breath as she takes a curve a bit too fast. “And for the love of Jesus, slow down!”
“Oh, don’t be a killjoy.” She rolls her eyes and then shrieks when there are red and blue flashing lights and a siren behind us. “Oh shit.”
“I tried to warn you,” I mutter at her.
“It’s okay, I got this.”
I raise my brow and then watch with absolute amusement when she rolls down the window and wipes frantically at her nose.
“I’m so sorry, officer!”
“Hello. Did you realize you were going nine miles an hour over the speed limit?”
“No! I didn’t. I’m sorry. I was having a sneezing fit.”
I sit back and cross my arms over my chest, watching with amazement as my little spitfire of a girlfriend tries to get out of this ticket.
“A sneezing fit?” the officer asks.
“Yes, you know when you suddenly have to sneeze and you do it like eight or nine times in a row?”
“Oh, yeah, I’ve done that before.”
“I couldn’t stop it, and I guess I must have accidentally sped up.” She sniffs again and then to my utter amazement, the cop shrugs and nods.
Shrugs and nods!
“Well, let me have your license anyway so I can make sure everything is in order, and then you can be on your way.”
“Thank you so much,” she gushes and hands over her license then grins smugly at me when the cop walks back to his cruiser.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“What?” she asks innocently with wide eyes and then laughs her ass off. After a few moments, the cop returns with her license.
“Well, it seems it’s your lucky day, Ms. Dalton. My computer is down, so I can’t even issue you a warning.”
“Oh!”
“A sneezing fit, huh?” He shakes his head and laughs, taps the hood of the car. “That’s a new one. Be safe.”
And with that he walks back to his car and pulls away.
“I told you I had it covered,” she says with a smile. “Works way better than crying.”
“Are you pulled over often?” Geez, maybe I should pull her record to see what’s on it.
“No.” She shakes her head and then laughs. “Well, maybe.”
“Slow the fuck down and you won’t get pulled over.”
She parks the car in front of the park where we’re going to have our picnic and drops my keys in my palm when I hold my hand out.
“That was fun.” She grins.
“I’ll drive us home,” I reply and climb out of the car, pull the picnic basket from the trunk and lead her to a tree off the beaten path.
She spreads the red and blue quilt on the ground, kicks off her flip-flops and sits down.
“I’m starving.”
“Are you okay?” I ask. I still worry about her diabetes, but she is always on top of it.
“Oh, I’m fine. I’m always hungry.”
“Before we dig in,” I begin and rub my suddenly sweaty palms down my blue jeans, “I have something for you.”
“You do?”
“Yes.”
“Oh dear God.” Her face pales, making me laugh and shake my head.
“Not that something. And I can see by your reaction that you’re definitely not ready for that yet.”
“Oh.” She frowns for a second, almost in disappointment, making me grin again. Maybe she’ll be ready sooner than I thought.
But not today.
“We’re going to the club tonight,” I remind her.
She grins and nods, blushing beautifully.
“We don’t go very often,” she replies. “It’ll be fun.”
I nod and pull a small square blue box with a white bow out of the picnic basket and watch her eyes widen.
“You have good taste,” she whispers.
“I chose you.” I shrug and push my fingers through my hair, trying to decide what to say. “Have you noticed at the club that some of the submissives wear collars?”
“Yes,” she replies and frowns.
“In some cases, those collars mean as much if not more than a wedding ring between the Dom and his sub. It’s not just a symbol of ownership, but of companionship as well. For me, I’m not interested in seeing you wear a true collar, but…”
I hand her the box and watch as she tugs the lid off and gasps at the platinum chain inside. She pulls it out of the box and holds it up, examining the simple pendant of two linked hearts.
“I would like for you to wear this, as a symbol of being mine. I want you to be tied with me in every way, just as I’m tied to you.” I take the chain from her and clasp it around her neck and brush my finger over the two delicate hearts. “I want everyone to know that you’re mine, little one.”
“I am yours, babe.” She looks down at the hearts and back up into my eyes, smiling happily. “And I’ll wear it proudly. Thank you.”
She launches herself at me, pushing me onto my back on the hard ground and kisses me soundly. “It’s beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful,” I reply and brush my thumb over her lower lip.
“I’m hungry,” she reminds me and rolls onto her back, still admiring the hearts.
I’m so relived that she loves it. I sit up and pull our meal out of the basket, and when I glance back down at her, she’s staring at me with so much love and trust it steals my breath.
“Keep looking at me like that and it’ll be awhile before we get around to lunch, and there are children not far away.”
She grins and sits up next to me, kisses my shoulder and then my cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you back.”
THE END
The With Me In Seattle series continues in book seven. Don’t miss Mark and Meredith’s story in
Breathe With Me
Coming in summer 2014.
Want more steamy romance in the Montana mountains?
Turn the page to read on for a sneak peek of Kristen Proby’s Seducing Lauren.
Coming soon from Pocket Books.
Seducing Lauren
Book Two in the Love Under the Big Sky Series
“Hey, Lauren.”
“Hi, Jacob, what can I do for you?” I ask with a smile, opening my front door wider for the friendly county
sheriff deputy.
“Well, I’m serving you.” He offers me an embarrassed smile and hands me a large envelope, then backs away. “Have a good day.”
Without moving back inside or shutting the door, I stare down at the envelope in surprise.
Served?
I rip open the envelope and see bright, flaming, inferno red as I read the court document.
“The fucker is suing me?” I exclaim to an empty room and read the letter clutched in my now trembling hands for the third time. “Hell no!”
I grab my handbag and slide my feet into flip-flops, barely managing not to fall down the porch steps as I tear out of my house to my Mercedes and pull out of my circular driveway.
I live at the edge of Cunningham Falls, Montana. The small town was named after my great-grandfather, Albert Cunningham. Ours is a tourist town that boasts a five-star ski resort and a plethora of outdoor activities
for any season. Thankfully, summer tourist season is over and ski season is still a few months away, so traffic into town is light.
I zoom past the post office and into the heart of downtown, where my lawyer’s office is. Without paying
any attention to the yellow curb, I park quickly and march into the old building.
The receptionist’s head jerks up in surprise as I approach her and slam the letter still clutched in my hand
on her desk.
“This,” I say between clenched teeth, “isn’t going to happen.”
“Ms. Cunningham, do you have an appointment with Mr. Turner?”
“No, I don’t have an appointment, but someone in this firm had better find time to see me.” I am seething,
my breath coming in harsh pants.
“Lauren.” My head whips up at the sound of my name and I see Ty Sullivan frowning at me from his office
doorway. “I can see you. Come in.”
I turn my narrowed eyes on Ty and follow him into his office. I am too agitated to sit while I wait for him to shut the door and walk behind his desk.
“What’s going on?”
“I need a new lawyer.”
“What’s going on?” He asks again and leans back against the windowsill behind his desk. He crosses his
arms over his chest. The sleeves of his white button-down are rolled up, giving me a great view of the sleeve tattoo on his right arm.
“This is what’s going on.” I walk to his desk and thrust the letter at him. “Jack is trying to sue me for half of a trust fund that he has no right to.”
Ty’s handsome face frowns as he skims the letter. “You came into the trust while you were still married?”
“Yes,” I confirm warily.
“And you didn’t tell him about it?” he asks with raised brows.
“I didn’t even know the damn thing existed until after my parents died, Ty. Until after I kicked Jack out.” I pace furious circles in front of his desk, breathing deeply, trying to calm down. “He doesn’t deserve a dime of my
inheritance. This isn’t about money, it’s about principle.”
“I agree.” Ty shrugs. “Have you talked with Cary?”
“I was just served with the letter,” I mumble and sink into the leather chair in defeat. “Cary’s a nice guy, but I just don’t think he’s the right lawyer for this job.” I glance up at Ty and my heart skips a beat as I take him in now that I’m calming down. He’s tall—much taller than me, which is saying something given that I stand higher than five foot eight. He has broad shoulders and lean hips, and holy hell, the things this man does to a suit should
be illegal in all fifty states.
But more than that, he’s kind and funny, and has a bit of a bad boy side to him too—hence the tattoos.
He’s been front and center in my fantasies for most of my life.
I bite my lips and glance down as his eyes narrow on my face.
“Why do you say that?” he asks calmly.
“It took two freaking years for the divorce to be final, Ty. I don’t want Cary to drag this out too.”
“It wasn’t necessarily Cary’s fault that the divorce took so long, Lauren. Jack had a good lawyer and your
divorce was a mess.”
That’s the fucking understatement of the year.
“Will you take my case?” I ask.
“No,” he replies quickly.
“What?” I ask, my dazed eyes returning to his. “Why?”
He shakes his head and sighs as he takes a seat behind his desk. “I have a full load as it is, Lo.”
“You’re more aggressive than Cary,” I begin to say but halt when he scowls.
“I really don’t think I can help you.”
Stunned, I sit back and stare at him. “You mean you won’t.” I hate the hurt I hear in my voice, but I can’t hide it. I know Ty and I aren’t super close, but I considered him a friend. I can’t believe he’s shooting me down.
He folds the letter and hands it back to me, his mouth set in a firm line and his gray eyes sober. “No, I won’t. Make an appointment with Cary and talk it over with him.”
My hand automatically reaches out and takes the letter from Ty, and I’m suddenly just embarrassed.
“Of course,” I whisper and rise quickly, ready to escape this office. “I’m sorry for intruding.”
“Lo . . .”
“No, you’re right. It was unprofessional for me to just show up like this. I apologize.” I clear my throat and offer him a bright, fake smile, then beeline it for the door. “Thanks anyway.”
“Did you want to make an appointment, Lauren?” Sylvia the receptionist asks as I hurry past her desk.
“No, I’ll call. Thanks.”
I can’t get to my car fast enough. Why did I think Ty would help me? No one will help me!
All the connections I have in this town, all the money I have, and that asshole is still making my life a living hell.
I drive home in a daze, and when I pull up behind a shiny black Jaguar, my heart sinks further.
Today fucking sucks.
Prepared to call for help if need be, I pull my cell phone out of my bag and climb out of my car. I walk
briskly past him and up the steps to the front door.
“Hey, gorgeous.”
“I told you not to come here, Jack. I don’t want to see you.”
“Aw, don’t be like that, baby. You’re making this so much harder than it needs to be.”
Shocked and pissed all over again, I round on him.
“I’m the one making this hard?” I shake my head and laugh at the lunacy of this situation. “I don’t want you here. The divorce has been final for weeks now, and you have no business being here. And now you’re trying to
fucking sue me?”
He loses his smug smile and his mouth tightens as his brown eyes narrow. “No, I’ll tell you what will make it easy, Lauren. You paying me what’s rightfully mine is what will make it easy. You hid that money from me, and I’m entitled to half.”
“I’ll never pay you off, you son of a bitch.” I’m panting and glaring, so fucking angry.
“Oh, honey, I think you will.” He moves in close and drags his knuckles down my cheek. I jerk my head away, but he grabs my chin in his hand, squeezing until there’s just a bit of pain. “Or maybe I’ll just come back here and claim what’s mine. You are still mine, you know.”
My stomach rolls as he runs his nose up my neck and sniffs deeply. Every part of me stills. What the fuck
is this?
“A man has the right to fuck his wife whenever he pleases.”
“I’m not your wife,” I grind out, glaring at him as he pulls back and stares me in the face.
He flashes an evil grin and presses harder against me. “You’ll always be mine. No piece of paper can change that.”
I don’t answer, but instead just continue to glare at him in hatred.
“Maybe you should just go ahead and write that check.”
He pushes away from me and backs down the stairs toward his flashy car, a car he bought with my parents’
money, and snickers as he looks me up and down. “You’ve kept that hot body of yours in shape, Lo. Maybe I’ll come back sometime and take a sample. Remind you of how much you loved it when I fucked your brains out.”
I swear I’m going to throw up.
I can’t answer him. I can only stand here and glower, shaking in rage and fear, as he winks again and hops in his Jag and drives away.
Jesus Christ, he just threatened to rape me.
house and heave into the toilet, over and over again until there’s nothing left and my body shivers and jerks in revulsion.
How can someone who once claimed to love me be so damn evil?
When the vomiting has passed, I rinse my mouth and head over to the indoor pool that my parents had built when I was on the swim team in high school. I shuck my clothes, but before I pull my swim cap on, I dial a familiar number on my phone and wait for an answer.
“Hull,” he answers. Brad is a police detective in town, and someone I trust implicitly.
“It’s Lauren.”
“Hey, sugar, what’s up?”
“Jack just left.”
“What did that son of a bitch want?” His voice is steel.
“He threatened me.” My voice is shaky and I hate myself for sounding so vulnerable. “I want it documented that he was here.”
“Did you record it, Lo?”
“No. I wasn’t expecting it. He’s been an asshole in the past, but this is the first time he’s come out and threatened me since he . . .” I pace beside the pool, unable to finish the sentence.
“That’s because I put the fear of God and jail time in him.” He’s quiet for a moment. “Is there anything you need?”
I laugh humorlessly and shake my head. “Yeah, I need my asshole ex to go away. But for now I’ll settle for a swim.”
“Keep your alarm on. Call me if you need me.”
“I will. Thanks, Brad.”
“Anytime, sugar.”
We hang up and I tuck my long auburn hair into my swim cap and then dive into the Olympic-size pool. The warm water glides over my naked skin and I begin the first of countless laps, back and forth across the pool.
Swimming is one of two things in this world I do really well, and it clears my head.
I do some of my best thinking in the pool.
Is all of this worth it? I ask myself. When I married Jack almost five years ago, I was convinced that he was
in love with me and that we’d be together forever. He’d been on my swim team in college. He was handsome and charming.
And unbeknownst to me, he’d been after my money all along.
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