Finding Bliss: The Moore Family Book 1

by Brooks, Abby

  Maybe he’d stop by the hotel in the morning and see how she was getting on.

  Or maybe not.

  Because he wasn’t supposed to be wasting his time on fluffy-headed little girls anymore. For that matter, overly independent, high-powered bitches were off the table, too. He’d had enough of both. He wanted a woman with substance, a woman who needed him but wouldn’t use him. A woman capable of thinking for herself but who cared enough to include him in her decisions. A woman who liked to fuck as much as she liked to make love. Because there were differences between the two. Important differences.

  Ian imagined Juliet’s wrists clamped in his hand, pinned over her head as he thrust himself deep inside her. Would she like it rough, the way he did? Would she beg for more? What about when he slapped her ass? Would her eyes go wide? Would she moan in pleasure? Or would she wriggle out of his grasp and run away, unable to deal with his darker side?

  And…just those little thoughts were enough to get him hard. He adjusted himself under the table while Lilah finished her introductions and got ready to introduce him as James’ big brother and best man.

  Great.

  Perfect fucking timing.

  While his sister wanted the night to be memorable, he was sure his current predicament wasn’t the kind of memory she was going for. He thought about cows. And baseball. He tried doing complex equations. Nothing seemed capable of cooling the Juliet fueled lust tenting his pants.

  Finally, his gaze fell on Vi, a particularly frosty ex-girlfriend who gave him a flirtatious smile and little wave. That did the trick. Ian had never been less turned on in his life than when he stood up to give his speech, smiling at the light applause and clinking glasses.

  “Lilah’s right. It’s about damn time James got serious and asked Erin to marry him. God knows she’s been patient enough, waiting for him to come to his senses over the last ten years.” He paused while laughter threaded itself into the sweet song of the string quartet. “But in all seriousness, I envy James, and the love he has for Erin. The constancy of their relationship. The trust and friendship they share. They’ve made each other happy for more than a decade and I wish them many decades of happiness to come.”

  He smiled down the table at his brother who beamed at his fiancée. Ian meant what he said. He truly did envy them. And maybe one day, if he ever found someone whose head wasn’t filled with cotton candy or who wasn’t a total bitch, he’d give Lilah the chance to throw another party.

  He looked down at the speech scrawled across his notecards and realized he’d already said all that mattered, the rest was redundant and pretentious. “To James and Erin!” he finished, then took a long drink of his champagne while the rest of the guests echoed him.

  As Ian sat, Harrison—the youngest Moore sibling—stood to make his own, less serious toast. Ian half listened while he scanned the faces in the tent. Half the female guests eyed him like they’d just discovered something rare and exciting. If he didn’t find a way to make an early exit, Lilah would have him in the arms of about fifteen eligible bachelorettes before the evening was over.

  After Harry finished his speech, a slew of waiters wound through the tables, depositing plates of food with efficient flourishes while Lilah stood and made her way to whisper in Ian’s ear.

  “Your speech was lovely. You made Mom cry, Dad smile, and James couldn’t be happier. Sorry I got a little…err…stressed.”

  “Is that what you call it? Stressed? Because I have a different name for it.”

  Lilah pouted. “Shush, you.” She scanned the guests, all making happy exclamations over their dinner. “You know you can have your pick of the single women here tonight after what you just said. Probably some of the married ones too. Very smart.”

  Ian grimaced. If Lilah thought his speech was designed to get him into some unsuspecting woman’s panties, he wasn’t going to bother to correct her. “Whatever you say, little sister.”

  She patted his shoulder and went back to her seat while Ian picked at the food in front of him. It looked delicious and smelled like heaven, but his appetite wasn’t cooperating. He’d meant what he said about envying James and Erin, but he also wasn’t interested in having a relationship that serious with just anyone.

  No more women like Vi.

  No more quick flings.

  No more hiding his darker sexual desires.

  He needed someone who matched all the extremes of his personality.

  Ian let his gaze wander around the women who were busy eyeing him and came up with a great big no thank you…until his mind circled back around to Juliet Lane and her fucking dog Lulu. Maybe, as crazy as it sounded, he’d check on them in the morning after all.

  Chapter Five

  Juliet

  “What do you mean, you don’t allow dogs?” Juliet knew it was a stupid question, but after driving since before the sun had even begun to rise and finally arriving in Bliss as it disappeared on the horizon, she realized the little town was everything she ever wanted. She couldn’t accept that she wasn’t going to have a place to stay.

  “I don’t think I can be much clearer, ma’am,” drawled the heavy-set man behind the counter.

  “Couldn’t you make an exception just this once”— Julz glanced at the name on his name tag—“Bobby? I literally have nowhere else to go.”

  Bobby wrapped his arms over his considerable girth and shook his head. “I don’t make the rules, but I will get fired if I don’t follow ‘em.”

  “And you’re sure there aren’t any other hotels in the area?”

  Bobby raised his eyebrows and shook his head. “Bliss doesn’t warrant one hotel, let alone options.”

  Juliet thanked the man for his help, even though he really wasn’t helpful at all. Cursing herself for even bringing Lulu inside with her in the first place, she left the small hotel and stood on the sidewalk out front. She tried to take stock of her options and come up with a plan, but it wasn’t looking good.

  Not at all.

  It didn’t matter how much her heart was set on Bliss if she had nowhere to stay.

  One thing was for sure, she hadn’t driven hundreds of miles in one day only to give up before she saw the ocean. Maybe she’d find a dose of inspiration to solve her problem while she sat on the beach, watching the vastness of water and sky, lulled toward relaxation by the rhythm of the waves.

  Or maybe she’d just get to check another item off her bucket list.

  Either way, it sounded like a win.

  She plopped into the driver’s seat with a sigh and deposited Lulu beside her. All she knew was that the ocean was somewhere to her left, so using the hotel setback as a chance to learn more about Bliss, she took off in that general direction. Twisting and turning through the streets only solidified the fact that the quaint coastal town was where she wanted to be.

  People waved to each other, stopping for conversation.

  Shop owners swept the sidewalks in front of their stores.

  She saw hand-painted signs and quirky displays.

  With adorable shops and clean streets, Bliss lived up to its name.

  Before long, she found the beach and a place to park. Humming to herself, she grabbed a blanket and some food, clipped Lulu’s leash to her collar, and trudged toward the water. She hadn’t gone more than a few steps before she stepped out of her sandals, and carried them with the rest of her gear. Wind rustled in her hair and warm sand tickled in between her toes.

  So what if she was homeless? At least she knew where she wanted to be.

  Right?

  Of course.

  No doubt about it.

  So what if she’d never really done anything without planning it to the fullest before? So what if she was going to have to sleep in her car? She was free from Peter and she was about to start a new life near the ocean—something she’d always wanted. Besides, she was damn smart and could be pretty resourceful. So, maybe things looked bad right then, but that only meant she had nowhere to go but up.


  Right?

  She spread her blanket on the sand and sat, opening a bag of pretzels she grabbed from the car. She couldn’t keep from grinning as she watched the darkening sky kiss the water. After years of being a round peg in the square hole that was New York City, it felt like she’d finally ended up where she belonged. Which was silly and irresponsible and totally based on nothing other than instinct since she’d been in Bliss for all of half an hour and hadn’t met a single person, yet.

  Well, other than Mr. Handsome, aka Ian Moore.

  And Bobby.

  But she’d way rather think about the sexy man in the fitted tux.

  “Except I’m not supposed to be thinking about Ian at all, right Lulu?”

  The dog stared at the bag of pretzels in Juliet’s hands and licked her lips.

  “You’re right. He is totally lick worthy.” Julz smiled and shared a few pretzels with her dog. As light succumbed to darkness, she considered calling her mom with the prepaid phone she’d grabbed somewhere along the way.

  Just as quickly as she had the idea, she put it out of her mind. Her mom wouldn’t even notice she was gone, at least not for a few more days, and her dad didn’t deserve a call. Besides, sitting there with the wind in her hair and sand in her toes, she didn’t want to connect to her past. Things felt shiny and new and safe and…hers. She wasn’t ready to share it, let alone try and explain it, especially before she had a place to call home.

  Except her best friend Willow was probably starting to worry. As the only person who knew the truth about Juliet’s relationship with the Tech Lord CEO (non-disclosure clause be damned!), Willow would probably assume Peter had finally gone insane and killed her or something.

  But if Peter had figured out Julz was missing—and he was sure to have figured that out by now—Willow would be the first person he’d go to. Hell, he’d probably even tap her phone. Luckily, when you have a friend who knows you’re in a potentially dangerous relationship, you develop a few secret codes.

  Juliet flipped open her prepaid phone and typed out a series of texts, an SOS they’d established last year.

  Figure that out, Peter Vox.

  She waited impatiently for Willow to respond, knowing that wherever she was and whatever she was doing, it wouldn’t take long. By the time she gathered her things and trekked back to the car, her phone started buzzing, with the caller ID showing an unknown caller. “Willie?” she answered.

  “Julz? Where the fuck are you?”

  Juliet laughed. “If I tell you, you won’t believe me.”

  “If you say you’re in the hospital, I’ll totally believe you. What did that asshole do to you this time?”

  “Nothing. I left him.”

  There was a second of stunned silence on the other end of the phone. “You did?” Willow sounded hopeful. “Please tell me you’re not messing with me.”

  “Totally telling the truth. Packed up all my old things, left the pretentious stuff he bought me behind, and hit the road this morning.”

  “Where are you?”

  Juliet trusted Willow with all her heart, but she didn’t trust Peter Vox. Not even a little. “Far away. Been driving since the middle of the night.”

  Willow either didn’t notice that she hadn’t told her where she actually was or understood the need to be vague. “Good for you! I’m so proud of you!”

  “Yeah, it feels good. Just didn’t want you to worry.”

  “I was starting to. Thought maybe the dickhead hurt you for real.”

  “Well, that’s not even a possibility anymore.” Juliet sounded more confident than she felt. “I’ve taken every precaution I can think of. I don’t think there’s a way he could find me.”

  “I’ll keep this number safe and I won’t call you from my own phone. Go full on stealth mode and all that jazz.”

  “Thanks, Willie.”

  There was some muffled discussion on the other end of the phone and Juliet could hear Willow telling someone off. “Hey,” she said, talking to Julz again. “This jerk wants his phone back. You stay safe and keep me informed, okay? When you get where you’re going, let me know. I’m gonna need to see you.”

  Juliet said her goodbyes and flipped the phone shut then locked the doors and reclined the front seat. Part of her couldn’t believe she was going to sleep in her car. The other part found it absolutely thrilling.

  This was a day of firsts, a day of claiming her life and taking risks.

  This whole not-having-a-place-to-go thing was just a little bump on the path.

  Surely, she’d have a bed to curl up in tomorrow.

  * * *

  After a restless night, trying to sleep in the front seat of a Hyundai, Juliet’s outlook was slightly less cheery. She groaned as her eyes peeled open, the brilliant morning sun cooking her through the windshield. She was hot, she was sweaty, and her back hurt. As quickly as she could clip the leash on Lulu’s collar, she lurched out of the car and led the dog to a grassy place to do her business. As Lulu searched and sniffed the small area, Julz was finally able to appreciate the splendor of sunrise over the ocean.

  Bucket list…check!

  One deep breath and a huge stretching yawn later, and her bad mood was already beginning to evaporate. How could she do anything but feel good in the face of such beauty? All she needed to truly make things right in the world was a cup of coffee.

  After Lulu finished doing her business, Juliet rummaged through the mess in her backseat for an energy drink and sighed when she came up empty handed. As much as she hated to start digging into her savings envelope, she couldn’t function on any kind of analytical level until she’d had at least a cup and a half of coffee. She racked her brain, trying to remember if she’d passed a coffee shop the night before and came up with nothing.

  Guess that gives me another chance to go exploring, she thought as she shook her hair over her shoulders and tried to run her fingers through the tangles. A chance to change her clothes, brush her teeth, and pull her hair back didn’t sound too bad either. She gathered the items she’d need and shoved them in a bag while she opened the doors and let the inside of the car air out.

  Her drive through the streets of Bliss reminded her once again how much she was going to love the place. Sure, there were franchise stores here and there, but most of the shops looked locally owned. The kind of places people put their heart and soul into. She passed up a Starbucks in search of the perfect deli or bakery or coffee shop and was just about to give up and turn around when she found a promising store at the end of a quiet street.

  The name over the window?

  Good Beginnings.

  “You can’t get more symbolic than that!” she said to Lulu as she parked, then wondered what to do with the dog while she went inside. She couldn’t leave her in the car, not in the heat. Even with the window cracked, she’d worry that her little dog was getting cooked. It had to be against health codes to bring a pet into a restaurant and sure, plenty of people in New York tied their pets to a bike rack while they went inside for a bite, but this is a much smaller town. Who knew what people would think if they came across little Lulu tied to the tree near the street?

  With a quick apology to her dog, Julz cracked the windows and gathered her things. She’d go in, use the bathroom to freshen up and change, then bring her order out to eat with Lulu. One more reason to find a place to call home as soon as possible. A night or two in the car was one thing. Actually living out of it while trying to manage a pet was a different subject altogether.

  The scent of fresh baked bread, eggs, bacon, and glorious coffee greeted her when she pushed through the door to Good Beginnings. After twenty-four hours of nothing but pre-packaged grab-and-go grub, Juliet’s stomach lurched in excitement. She rushed through her visit to the restroom, pulling on clean panties and a white sundress. Ran a brush through her hair and wished she could wash it before pulling it back into a ponytail. And finally, she washed her face and brushed her teeth. Feeling more like herself, she placed
an order for a large coffee—two creams, two sugars—and a bacon and egg sandwich on fresh wheat bread.

  “You must be new around here,” said the curvy brunette behind the counter as Juliet craned her head to see Lulu through the storefront window.

  “Just got in last night.” Juliet gave the woman a huge smile. “This place is great, by the way.” She gestured around the quickly filling cafe.

  The woman beamed, transforming her plain face into something breathtaking. “Thank you. I’m quite proud of it.”

  “This place is yours?”

  “You know it.” The woman extended her hand over the counter. “Ellie Charles, owner and proprietor of Good Beginnings, cafe and coffee.”

  And that right there was one more reason to love Bliss. Ellie was living the dream. Carving out her path and claiming her space. Pouring her heart and soul into her business instead of spending endless hours in a cubicle doing soul-sucking work for someone else.

  Juliet took Ellie’s hand and was pleased at the woman’s delicate grip. No domineering man-shake for her, just a sweet feminine thing. Must be nice not to have to out businessman the men. “Juliet Lane, Bliss’s newest resident.”

  Ellie looked surprised. “You movin’ in? Not just passin’ through?”

  “That’s the plan, anyway. Definitely ready to call this place home. Just need to find the actual home to make it official.”

  “You didn’t like the hotel?” A deep baritone sounded in her ear, too close for comfort. Juliet jumped and squeaked as she spun around, her eyes wide, her hand on her heart.

  Her breath caught and all fear dissolved when her gaze fell on the owner of that sultry voice. A smile curled her lips and a flutter of adrenaline tickled her belly.

  There, standing in line almost directly behind her, his dark hair falling in his face, a glint of humor brightening his eyes, was the delectable Ian Moore.