FOREVER SERIES: COMPLETE BOX SET

by Lynn, Sandi

  He lined up four shot glasses, each with a lime in front of it, and some salt. I licked the salt, downed the shot, and sucked the lime.

  “Hell, yeah!” I yelled.

  “Your turn!” I shouted at Mason.

  We both did two shots each and then hit the dance floor. It was packed and there was a lot of bumping and grinding going on. I danced like I never had before. Tonight was about me and having some fun for the first time in a long time. After dancing for a while, we headed back to the bar.

  “Line ‘em up! This time, eight tequila shots,” I said.

  Mason was all for it as we slammed them down together. I slammed six, and he could only do two. The room was starting to spin, but I was feeling good. The floor was thumping beneath our feet as I dragged Mason back to the dance floor. I was enjoying the music as we were moving back and forth against each other when I felt someone grinding up against my body. I turned around to this sexy-looking man who was trying to talk to me.

  “Hey, I’m Chris, and you are one beautiful woman.”

  I smiled as I danced with him, swaying my hips from side to side as he grabbed my waist. He turned me around so my ass was up against his erection. I wasn’t paying attention. I was too drunk to care. I was watching Mason a few feet away from me, dancing with some random girl when I felt his hands take a tighter grab on my hips. I moved my hands up and down his arms, taking in his muscular form as I moved my body up and down his. I turned around and came to a complete stand still when it was no longer Chris at my side; it was Connor. His eyes were enraged as he looked at me.

  “Let’s go now!” he ordered.

  My heart started racing and I started to sweat. What the hell was he doing here and why?

  “What the fuck are you doing here, Connor?”

  “Why don’t you tell me that, Ellery?!” His voice was angry.

  “I’m having fun.”

  “You look like a total slut on this dance floor and thank God I was here or who knows what that asshole would have done to you.”

  I jerked my arm out of his grip and headed towards the bar. I held two fingers up to the bartender as he put two shots of tequila in front of me. Connor weaved in and out of the crowd, coming after me. I downed one shot and picked up the next glass as Connor grabbed it from my hand.

  “You’re drunk, and we’re leaving. Let’s go.”

  He threw some money on the bar and grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the bar with Mason following behind.

  “Let go of me, Connor Black!” I screamed as I tried to get out from his grip. I was resisting so much that he picked me up and carried me to the cab, kicking and screaming all the way.

  “Ellery, knock it off or so help me.”

  “So help you what, Connor?!” I yelled as he put me in the cab and climbed in next to me. I looked at him as he stared straight ahead.

  “You have no right!” I said.

  His angry eyes turned to me. “I have no right? What the hell do you think you were doing in there? Were you trying to get yourself raped? Look at you, and the way you’re dressed. You’re just asking for it.”

  I started hitting his chest. “Fuck you, Connor!”

  Mason grabbed my arms as Connor grabbed hold of my wrists, trying to calm me down. The cab pulled up to the apartment building. Connor and Mason got out as I sat there with my arms folded.

  “Get out of the cab, now!” he yelled.

  I glared at him and then flipped him off.

  “Real mature, Ellery,” he said as he leaned into the cab and dragged me out of it.

  He threw me over his shoulder, carried me straight to the bedroom, and threw me on the bed. I watched him pace back and forth across the room, running his hands through his perfectly tousled hair.

  “I can’t believe you, Ellery. I came here tonight to surprise you, and I find you dry humping some guy in a club, drunk off your ass. What the hell were you thinking?”

  I sat up on the bed. “I was having fun instead of being cooped up in this apartment, crying over you every damn day!”

  He stopped and looked at me. “Do you think this has been easy for me?”

  I put my hand over my mouth and ran to the bathroom. I leaned over the toilet as the alcohol made its way up my throat. Connor walked up behind me and held my hair back with one hand while he rubbed my back with the other. He got me a warm cloth and wiped my mouth as he helped me up off the floor.

  “Let’s get you in your pajamas and into bed. You have your injections tomorrow.” He took my nightshirt out of my drawer, and I grabbed it out of his hands.

  “Let me help you,” he calmly said.

  “I don’t need your help. I can do it myself.”

  I undressed as he watched me. I slipped on my nightshirt and climbed into bed. He left the room, and I heard the TV turn on. He slept on the couch.

  * * *

  The next morning, I stumbled out of bed and walked towards the kitchen. Connor was standing there, leaning up against the counter and waiting for the coffee to brew, looking as sexy as ever.

  “Good morning. You look like shit.”

  I frowned as my head was pounding. “Yeah, well, we all can’t look as perfect as you.”

  He grinned as he handed me a cup of coffee.

  “Do I get a hug?” he asked as he held his arms out.

  I walked past him. “Sluts don’t give hugs.”

  He rolled his eyes and sat at the table while I went into the bedroom to get dressed.

  * * *

  We arrived at the hospital in silence. I walked a few feet ahead of him and heard him say, “I don’t understand why you’re so mad.”

  “You called me a slut, Connor.”

  “I said you looked like a slut, Elle.”

  I shook my head. “Same thing, you idiot.”

  We reached the office and the nurse took us promptly to the room. I changed into the thin gown and sat on the bed, waiting for Dr. Murphy.

  “Are you even going to look at me?” he asked.

  “I’m so mad at you, Connor Black, I could scream.”

  He walked over to me and tried to take my hand, but I pulled away.

  “If you think I’m going to apologize, then you’re in for a surprise because I’m not. What you did last night was unacceptable and immature.”

  I looked straight into his eyes. “At least I didn’t take the guy home and fuck him like you do with random strangers!”

  He turned away. “Why did I even bother coming here?”

  “I don’t know, Connor. Why the hell did you?”

  Dr. Murphy walked in and looked at us. She could feel the tension in the room.

  “Hello, Ellery, Mr. Black.” She smiled.

  We said hello as she flipped through my chart. She walked over and put her hand on my knee. “Are you ready for this?”

  I looked at her with sadness in my eyes. “Let’s just get it over with.”

  I laid myself down on my side, and Connor sat on the edge of the bed, facing me. I pointed to the chair.

  “You. Go sit over there.”

  He sighed and shook his head as he sat in the chair.

  “Okay, Ellery. Here’s the first injection.”

  The prick of my skin was the easy part. My body started to burn from the inside. I clenched the sheet of the bed with my fists as my knuckles turned white. I wouldn’t look at Connor, even though I wanted him to hold me. I was stubborn, and I wanted to do this on my own. As soon as the second injection pierced my skin, I let out a cry of pain as my body felt like a raging fire that couldn’t be extinguished. Fuck it. I needed him. I held out my hand and looked at him, and he was by my side in an instant. I clutched his shirt as hard as I could as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead.

  “You are the most stubborn person that I’ve ever met.”

  I cried into his chest as Dr. Murphy injected me with the last injection. She patted my arm and walked out the door.

  * * *

  I walked into the apa
rtment and laid myself on the couch.

  “Are you going to be comfortable there?”

  I didn’t say anything. I was still mad at him, but I wasn’t sure at this point why. He knelt down in front of me, his piercing green eyes looking into mine.

  “Would it be okay if I gave you a kiss? I’ve really missed those lips.”

  In all honesty, who could resist him, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t try. I clamped my mouth shut, and he laughed. He ran his finger softly over my mouth and up my cheek. He leaned into me and softly brushed his lips against my mouth. It didn’t take long before I gave in and my lips joined his. My lips parted so that his tongue had access to my whole mouth. The kiss was light and soft. He broke our kiss and looked at me. He didn’t say anything at first; he just stared at me.

  “I’ve never loved anyone like I love you, Ellery, and no matter what we’ve been through, or are going to go through, nothing will ever change the way I feel.”

  Tears started to swell in my eyes as I cupped his face in my hands. “I love you too, and I’m sorry, again.”

  “I think we’re going to spend our lives apologizing to each other.” He lightly smiled.

  I sat up, letting him sit next to me. He pulled me onto him so my head was resting in his lap. He gently stroked my hair as I fell asleep.

  Chapter 42

  We spent the next couple of days in bed, catching up on sex.

  “Christmas is next week, and I’m taking you to get a tree.”

  I looked at him and pouted. “You mean we have to leave this bed?”

  Connor smiled. “We do, but I promise we won’t leave it for too long.”

  He took my hand and led me into the shower.

  We spent the day picking out the perfect Christmas tree. Connor made arrangements to have it delivered while we bought the lights and ornaments. We decorated the tree as we sipped wine and ate Chinese food. We made love by the tree with the lights brightly cascading down around us as we lay on the floor, wrapped in a blanket.

  “My mom wants you to come over for Christmas,” he said as he ran his finger up and down my arm.

  “I would love that. I miss your family.”

  “I talked to Peyton, and if it’s okay with you, we’re going to spend Christmas Eve with her and Henry and then Christmas Day at my mom and dad’s, unless you have other plans?”

  “That sounds perfect to me, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

  * * *

  It was the day before Christmas Eve, and we were heading back to New York first thing the next morning. I got out of bed and started a pot of coffee. Connor emerged from the bedroom with his hand behind his back.

  “What are you hiding, Mr. Black?”

  He smiled and kissed me on the lips.

  “A present for you.”

  He handed me the beautiful white box with a pink satin bow. I opened it and pulled out a beautiful white spaghetti-strap sundress.

  “Oh, Connor, it’s beautiful!” I smiled as I held it up to me.

  “You’re going to wear that tonight for dinner.”

  I cocked my head to the side. “You’re taking me to dinner?”

  “Don’t I always? But tonight will be our last dinner in California for a while, so I wanted to make it special.”

  I put the dress down and wrapped my arms around his neck.

  “Thank you. I love it.”

  It didn’t take long before he picked me up and carried me back to the bedroom for our routine morning lovemaking.

  * * *

  We walked out the door and there was a limo waiting for us.

  “A limo? How classy, Mr. Black.”

  He smiled and opened the door. I slid in and gasped when I looked at the driver. “Denny, what are you doing here?”

  He turned and looked at me with a smile. “It’s good to see you, Ellery.”

  Connor slid in next to me and shut the door.

  “Why is Denny driving us in California?”

  Connor just smiled.

  “I need to blindfold you.”

  I looked at him with a smirk. “Don’t you think that’s a little too kinky with Denny here?”

  He lightly laughed and shook his head.

  “Trust me. We’ll be using this in the bedroom, but for now, where I’m taking you is a surprise, and I don’t want you to know till we get there.” He took out a black cloth and put it over my eyes. “Are you okay?”

  “Except for being incredibly turned on, yes.”

  The limo stopped, and Connor took my hand and helped me out. He stopped and told me to take off my shoes. My heart was racing a mile a minute with excitement. As soon as my feet touched the sand, I stopped and listened as the waves crashed to the shore. Connor reached over and took off the blindfold.

  “I’m guessing you know where we are.”

  I stood there, my feet softened by the sand as I looked out and saw a white canopy sitting in the middle of the beach.

  “Is it just us here tonight?” I asked.

  Connor smiled as he kissed me softly on the cheek. “Yes, baby. I took the liberty of renting out this private beach just for us.”

  He took my hand and led me down the beach to the white canopy. Inside the canopy sat a round table draped in white linen, white roses, and two chairs covered in white fabric. I was speechless at the beauty of it all. The best part was that the sun was going to set soon, and we’d be here to watch it.

  “Connor, how and when did you do all this?”

  “Do you like it?”

  “I love it. You’re so amazing.”

  “Dinner will be here soon, so I thought we could take a walk along the water.”

  He took my hand as we walked along the edge of the shoreline, the water hitting our feet. He stopped and pointed to the sky.

  “Look over there. The sun is starting to set.”

  I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and comfort at that moment. Connor took my hands and held them as he faced me, taking in a deep breath.

  “Ellery, from the first moment I saw you, I knew instantly that I needed you in my life, and I set out to make sure that happened. You kept calling me a stalker, and you were right; I did stalk you, but for good reason.”

  I smiled as he continued.

  “You’re different from anyone that I’ve ever met. You’re strong, kind, good-hearted, forgiving, and loving. You’re also incredibly stubborn, a smart ass, and very independent, and that’s everything I love about you. You’ve certainly given me a run for my money since I’ve met you. You’ve challenged me and brought out a man I thought I never could be. You’ve shown me things that I never would’ve seen if you weren’t in my life. You’ve filled the void in my heart and soul that I never knew existed until you weren’t by my side.”

  Tears started to fall down my face.

  “I was simply a man with no meaning until I met you, and I’m proud of whom I’ve become because of you. We’ve been through a lot together, and we will continue to go through a lot, but we’ll conquer whatever life throws our way, together. I want to thank you for being my best friend, and my lover.”

  Suddenly, he got down on one knee and pulled a small velvet box from his pocket. The tears wouldn’t stop flowing down my face.

  “I want to be more than just your lover. I want to be your happily ever after, your best friend, your husband, and I want you for my wife. Will you marry me, Ellery Lane?” He opened the box and took out the most beautiful ring that I’d ever seen.

  I looked at him, crying as I nodded my head. “Yes, Connor; I will marry you.”

  He put the ring on my finger and stood up, hugging me and twirling me around. We kissed passionately and then looked up at the sunset.

  “I wanted to propose here because I figured you’d want your mom to be here with us.”

  I was touched in so many ways by this man. We stood and watched the sun set over the ocean waters wrapped around each other and never wanting to let go.

  He led me back
to the table and we ate dinner and talked.

  “I saw the tape your mom made for you the night we got back from the club, and I slept on the couch. I turned the TV on, and it was playing. That had to be so hard for you watch.”

  “It was at first, but then it was comforting at the same time. It was amazing to see her, and I regret not getting the contents of that safety deposit box sooner.”

  I kept looking at my ring, which gracefully sat on my finger. It was a four-carat, platinum princess-cut diamond with smaller diamonds going down the band.

  “A beautiful ring for a beautiful woman.” He smiled.

  He stood up and took my hand and led me to a large white tent that was filled with fluffy pillows and blankets.

  A huge grin crossed my face. “Sex on the beach?”

  He nodded his head. “Yes, sex on the beach.”

  He walked over to me and slid the spaghetti straps off my shoulders, allowing my entire dress to fall at my feet. I stood there in only my white lace panties as his tongue traveled across my neck and up my jaw line before meeting my mouth with his.

  “I want to make love to you all night; first here, and then at home in every room. When you walk tomorrow, you’ll be reminded of our passionate night; one I never want you to forget.”

  I braced myself for the amazing hot sex that was about to take place. I craved him like chocolate. He laid me down on the soft pillows and watched me as he took off his shirt and removed his pants and boxers. Every time I looked at him, it amazed me how blessed this man was in the “goods” department. He bent down and laid himself on his side, propped up on his elbow as he softly stroked my breasts, paying special attention to each hardened nipple as he twisted them in his fingers. I ran my hand through his hair and brought his head closer for a kiss. Our lips grew hot as our tongues were reunited with each other. With finesse, he moved his hand up and down my torso and into my lace panties, feeling my wetness and my ache for him.

  “Christ, Ellery, you’re so wet,” he moaned. His lips broke from mine as he kissed each breast, making his way down to my belly button and kissing me softly inside my inner thighs. He gently inserted his finger in me and felt the wetness before inserting another. I gasped at the pleasure and arched my back for him to go deeper. His tongue ran circles around my swollen area, forcing me to release my pleasure to him. He quickly placed his mouth where his fingers had been, sucking lightly and licking every sensitive area. My heart was beating rapidly as his erotic moves were scorching my skin. He brought his mouth up to mine and gave me a taste of what he loved so much. I reached down and took him in my hand, stroking the length of him with long, soft strokes. Groans came from the back of this throat as his mouth lightly licked behind my ear.