Laces and Lace (Assassins #6)

by Toni Aleo

  “No,” she whispered, pulling her head back and looking into his eyes. “I’m ready to start our life.”

  “Me too,” he said softly. “But I don’t want you to do this all upset. Maybe you need some time to really hash this out.”

  Her head cocked to the side as her eyes held his. “Karson, I’ve hashed and I’m good. Are you having second thoughts?”

  He scoffed. “Fuck no, sweetheart. I want to take you home but—”

  “No but,” she said, leaving his embrace. “Take me home, Karson. I’m yours.”

  “It’s just I don’t like that he made you choose,” he said as she turned to go down the hall. Looking over her shoulder, she shrugged.

  “Me either. But I made the right choice.”

  A grin pulled at his lips as he nodded. “No pressure, eh?”

  She smiled for the first time in hours and nodded. “None. You got this.”

  Reaching for her, he took her in his arms and dipped her back, looking down at her. “I do and I always will.”

  “Good,” she said, threading her fingers through his hair. “Now, let’s pack this apartment, and then go to my office and pack that before going to say bye to my nephews. Then, Mr. King, you are taking me home.”

  Leaning down, he touched his lips to hers, not in a kiss but as a presence. His lips were so warm and powerful, while his eyes still were filled with worry. She wanted nothing more than to erase it. She didn’t want him to worry about something that couldn’t be changed. Her father had made the choice that he did, and he would have to live with that decision. While, yes, she was going to miss her father, she also realized that she might be a little happier not worrying about every step she took. Constantly asking herself if this would piss him off or if he would be calling within seconds to bitch her out. She was finally free, and while she was sad, she was also okay with it. She had Karson. What else did she need?

  Holding her face in his hands, bringing her attention back to him, Karson whispered, “That is a great idea, Mrs. King.”

  Later that afternoon, after getting everything packed in her apartment that she was taking, they headed to Lacey’s office where they packed up what she’d need from her office. Karson was beyond helpful but also curious, and Lacey loved that. She loved that he asked so much about the business and looked like a kid in a candy store as he snooped around the shop, holding up pieces and asking her to model them for him. Lucky for him, she owned every piece in the shop and promised to wear them for him every night. That seemed to please him immensely.

  After packing everything up, he said that whatever house they got would have to have a big enough office for her to do the work she needed to. It meant a lot to her that he supported her so much because this business had been her lover for the last six years. As she stood in the middle of the shop, looking around at the soft teal and white walls with racks of lingerie and white shelves that held bras for all types of women and the drawers full of sexy panties, her eyes got a little misty. She’d built this store from the ground up and now she was leaving.

  It was insane.

  She had spent over eighty hours a week there. Working on mock-ups for new lingerie and then working hard to get more donations for her foundation for young women with breast cancer. Would she work as much as she had? She had a husband now. Would she live and breathe her job, or would she finally have a reason to get up from behind the desk? She knew the answer, and while it was bittersweet, she was going to miss this place.

  When Karson’s hand slid into hers, he asked, “You okay?”

  She smiled as she mentally shook herself out of her moment. She wanted this. She wanted Karson and happiness. Everything else would fall into place; she was sure of it. Squeezing his hand, she nodded before leading him back to her office so she could gather a few more things. Looking back at him, she said, “It’s weird to leave this place. I practically lived in this shop for the first three years it was open.”

  “It’s a beautiful shop. You’ve done amazing.” When she grinned over at him from behind her desk, he asked, “Have you considered opening a new shop somewhere else? For example, Nashville?”

  Her heart skipped a beat at that question. She had always wanted to do that, but she had never lived anywhere else and had never had the chance to expand. It was mainly fear that had held her back, but now, the possibilities were endless.

  As she told him that, he smiled and said, “You do now.”

  Her grin grew as she nodded slowly. “Maybe.”

  That seemed to please him because within seconds, he was behind her desk, his lips crashing against hers, taking her breath away. She loved how into her career he was. He wanted to know everything and constantly told her how impressed he was. It was so fulfilling and perfect. Holding on to each other, they kissed for what seemed like ever before they came up for air, gazing into each other’s desire-filled eyes.

  Smiling, he said, “You are lucky we have more shit to do, or I would ravish you against this desk.”

  What a wonderful idea, she thought.

  “Mm,” she moaned against his lips, moving her hips against his. “Who said we don’t have time for a quickie?”

  He smirked. “I don’t do quickies,” he stated. “And plus, you have employees less than ten feet from us. They will hear you screaming my name, and then we’ll be the talk of the week.”

  “Maybe I want to be the talk of the week,” she said, waggling her eyebrows at him, causing him to chuckle. “Want to do me on the desk?”

  He stared into her eyes for a good long while before pushing her back against the desk. Watching her as her chest rose and fell, he slowly pulled her leggings down before lifting her hips and sitting her bare ass on the desk. Running his hands along her thighs, his eyes burned into hers. Her breathing picked up as she inched herself toward his hand, wanting him to feel her and take away all the stress of the craptastic day her dad had caused. She wanted to forget everything but her love for him. Forget her dad and her nerves about the move and her new life. She just wanted to forget.

  Stopping right along the heat between her legs, he smiled. “The door is open.”

  She looked behind her and then back at him, a look of horror on her face. “Close it!”

  He laughed as he jumped over the desk and then quickly to the door, shutting and locking it before returning to her the way he left. Grabbing her desk chair, he sat down and then rolled up between her legs. She gasped for breath because honestly, it was beyond hot to see her husband between her legs in a chair as he was about to feast on her, his eyes dark and dangerous. She watched as he moved her legs over his shoulders before dropping his mouth to her already dripping wet pussy. Biting into her lip, she closed her eyes as her head fell back, his tongue sliding up and down the slit of her hot center. Holding on to the edge of the desk, she held in her cries, not an easy feat, as Karson took away every single stress in her body.

  Arching her back, she pressed herself into his mouth, rubbing her clit against his teeth as his fingers bit into her thighs. Sucking her clit into his mouth, he swirled his tongue around it, driving her completely mad. Crying out, she slammed her hand over her mouth as he tortured her in the most delectable way. Sucking in a deep breath, she bit into her palm as he slowly licked the length of her, dipping his tongue inside her while his thumb pressed into her clit. Her body quivered beneath his touch, her thighs aching from holding them open, while her body tightened with each pass of his tongue.

  “Oh my God, Karson,” she cried, not caring one bit that her employees might hear her over the music that played in the shop.

  “Oh no, you don’t,” he said, removing his mouth from her pussy and standing up.

  “Huh?” she gasped as her legs fell from his shoulders and hung lifeless over the desk’s edge.

  “You’re going to come on my dick,” he demanded, unbuttoning his jeans and throwing them down, his cock springing out toward her.

  Reaching out, she ran her thumb along the tip of him be
fore taking ahold of him, her eyes locked with his as she directed him inside her. He went easy; she was dripping with arousal, and he filled her completely to the hilt. He pushed into her and she fell back on the desk as he slid up her shirt, kissing up her stomach and between her breasts as he slowly moved in and out of her, shaking the desk with the strength of each of his thrusts. Snaking her legs around his waist, she held on as he slowly and thoroughly fucked her into oblivion. When he leaned back, thrusting ever so perfectly into her, her eyes met his and her heart exploded with love for him.

  “I love you,” she whispered, her eyes stinging with tears.

  She never cried during sex, that was insane, but there was just such a connection between them. It was beautiful and perfect. So them. She’d never felt like this, and she knew that she never would again. This was it. Karson had always been the one. Her heart.

  “I love you too,” he said roughly as his thrusts slowed and his fingers dug into her hips. Letting go of her hip with one hand, he brought his fingers into his mouth, getting them wet before moving them between their bodies to find her clit. Her body seized with the first touch, her legs locking up as he ruthlessly fingered the hell out of her clit. Moving his fingers quickly over her taut nub, his whole arm shaking with the motion, it didn’t take long before she came so hard she saw lights and her whole body went stiff.

  Groaning loudly, Karson took ahold of her hips, and she was convinced he was going to knock the whole desk over, he was pounding into her so hard. And man, did she love every second of it. Digging her nails into his forearms, she squeezed him tightly with her body as he rocked her world. When he stilled, filling her completely with his own orgasm, she watched his beautiful face as he came with her name on his lips.

  It sure was a sight to see.

  She then slowly ran her hand down his chest, gasping for breath as her lovely husband did the same. Falling on top of her, he gathered her in his arms, kissing her neck, her jaw before meeting his mouth to hers. As his weight squished her into the desk, her eyes fell shut and she couldn’t have thought of a better way to let go of the stress she was holding on to.

  When his lips met her jaw, he said, “I think this was a great way to leave this place.”

  Her body shook with giggles as she nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.”

  Man, his wife rocked his world.

  After their hot little encounter in her office, he loaded her things in the car as she said goodbye to her employees. He couldn’t help but notice how red she was as she said bye in such an awkward way, and he planned to tease her ruthlessly about it later. She was just too damn cute, but man, so successful. The whole time they were there, people were coming in and out, dropping loads of money and also saying how much her stuff meant to them. It was a beautiful, proud moment for him, watching her in her element, and he decided that his wife was a fucking badass.

  When the car was loaded and his nose was frozen off, he couldn’t help but be ready to go back to Nashville. Not only was it colder than Frosty’s balls in Chicago, but it was full of people who didn’t care one bit for him. He was ready to get his bride home, no matter how the guilt ate at his chest. He really couldn’t understand what Nate Martin’s issue was, but he hated more than anything that he had made Lacey choose. He really didn’t get it, and at that moment, like he always did, he thanked the good Lord above for his family.

  They were a circus of crazy, but they were his and they loved him, no matter what. Lacey may have lost her dad during all this, but at least Grady came around. Plus she was also gaining a family of clowns that would love her more than face paint and red noses. Hell, he would love her enough for a billion lifetimes. He wanted to be happy she chose him, but something told him that even though Nate had cut Lacey off, he wasn’t done. That man always got what he wanted. But so did Karson. So this was bound to be very interesting, to say the least. He wanted to believe he’d won, but Nate had taken Lacey away once before and that worried him.

  Slamming the door to Lacey’s car, he ran back inside, kicking his feet to get the snow off, but he also gained the attention of everyone in the store. Lacey’s face was bright as she said, “And this is the reason I am moving to Nashville. My husband, Karson.”

  A younger lady stood in front of Lacey, her eyes full of tears as she tried to smile, but it obvious she was upset. She was a skinny little thing, couldn’t be taller than 5’3”. Her eyes were a soft brown, and she wore a knit cap to cover her bald head. She was beautiful, and it killed him to know that she was fighting a battle that so many fought every day. He hated cancer with a passion and instantly felt for the girl. Clearing her throat, the girl said, “As much as it’s nice to meet you, I can’t believe you are taking our Lacey away.”

  Karson smiled as he walked toward the two ladies. “I promise to take care of her.”

  “Oh, I can see you will. She is a whole different person standing in front of me, and I know that is because of you. But she means so much to this city. To us cancer girls.” Her voice broke with the last sentence.

  Lacey’s eyes filled with tears as she took the girl’s hand. “Karson, this is Bethany Williams.”

  Karson held out his hand, taking her small one in it and squeezing it tightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “You too,” she said, wiping away her tears. “I hate that you are leaving. It’s so sudden!”

  “Yeah, that’s the crazy thing about love. He came, he saw, he took me to Vegas, and put a ring on it,” she said with a goofy grin that hit him hard in the chest.

  “I’m so happy for you,” Bethany said, squeezing Lacey’s hand. “I just wish you could stay here, only for my selfish needs, of course.”

  Lacey smiled fondly. “Facebook and texting will be our friend. I’ll be flying back a lot too. Don’t worry.”

  “Okay, I guess I can let you leave me as long as you answer my crying calls.”

  Lacey nodded. “I promise. A couple states can’t keep me from always being there for you.”

  “Thank you,” she said, hugging Lacey tightly. It was very moving to see how much Lacey obviously loved the woman. He wanted to know who she was, what her story was, and planned to get all the information once they were alone. When Bethany let Lacey go, she set Karson with a look that meant she wasn’t joking around. “You make sure she is always happy. She’s a different person when she smiles.”

  “I plan to do just that,” Karson promised, and his chest tightened when both women gave him a wide smile.

  Wrapping an arm around Lacey, Bethany said, “Good, she deserves it.”

  Karson couldn’t agree more.

  After a tearful goodbye, and once they were in the car, Karson looked over at Lacey as he started the car and asked, “You okay?”

  She nodded with a grin. “Yeah, I’ll miss everyone but I’m good.”

  “Good,” he said, squeezing the steering wheel. “So who was that?”

  “Bethany?”

  “Yeah.”

  She smiled, wiping her face with a tissue. Her makeup was smeared across her face, but to him, she was gorgeous. Hell, she was magnificent no matter what. “I love her so much. She is only eighteen and has had breast cancer since she was sixteen. They thought they had it all, but it came back and she had a mastectomy about six months ago.”

  “That sucks,” Karson said as he pulled out into traffic and then going the direction that Siri was telling him to go.

  “Yeah, her boyfriend left her when it happened, and she was devastated. I met her through the girls’ group I am in.”

  “Girls’ group?”

  “Yeah, I have a foundation that I started, and one of the perks of being a part of it is free counseling. It’s once a week and I go to the last meeting a month, just to check on the girls.”

  He smiled. He knew all about her foundation and all the good it did. He was a proud sponsor, but she didn’t know that. No one knew. “So I’m pretty sure I need to buy a private plane for you so you can come to Chicag
o as much as you need to.”

  She laughed. “Please, I can take Southwest. I’m fine, but thank you. That’s sweet.”

  He shot her a grin as she went on, “But anyway, back to Bethany, she was a quiet girl from the start, but somehow we became friends. Then after she got her breast implants, I started making pieces to help her feel girly. It’s hard not having nipples, and sometimes girls don’t know how to accept it. Thankfully, every girl I’ve helped loves herself now. That was my goal when I started, and I’ve done pretty well at it.”

  “That’s amazing, baby,” he said softly. “I’m very proud of you.”

  Her cheeks reddened as she smiled a true smile. “I am very passionate about the things I love. Helping people is something I strive for because I didn’t have that. I didn’t love myself until you came along.”

  That simple sentence meant more than she’d ever realize. As his chest constricted, he took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “You blow me away, Lacey. Really.”

  “Thanks,” she said softly just as they pulled into the Martin residence. “I’m nervous.”

  Karson looked over at her and squeezed her hand. “It’s going to be fine.”

  “Rachel is going to lose it and, ugh, I hate to leave the boys.”

  “We will come visit whenever you want.”

  She nodded with a grin. “I know, but it’s hard to say goodbye.”

  “But it’s not goodbye, it’s see ya later. You’re not leaving for forever, Lacey.”

  Her grin grew as she leaned over, kissing his jaw. “You are my favorite person.”

  “Awesome, ’cause you’re mine,” he said with a wink. “Come on, let’s go say bye.”

  Jumping out of the car, Karson went around to retrieve his wife before they rushed to get out of the cold. Opening the door, Lacey led Karson in, and then two little boys who looked just like Grady attacked her. It was kind of freaky, and he wondered if Rachel had anything to do with the boys. She must have been just a carrier because those boys were Grady through and through.