Ian laughed, and slid his arms around her waist, hugging her back against him. “Ah, but you see, I have the card key in my pocket to the most luxurious suite in this entire hotel - top floor, private elevator, bottle of champagne on ice. And a very large bed. But if you’re that devoted to your worthless husband, then I suppose there’s no hope for me.”
She leaned into his chest, letting her head fall back against his shoulder. “You might be able to persuade me,” she teased. “However, there’s the matter of my four young ones. They, of course, would have to come along to this suite of yours, since I can’t leave them alone.”
Ian sighed. “A complication I hadn’t thought of. Oh, well. Raincheck, I suppose. Like on the evening of the office Christmas party, for example. I’ve already arranged it with Zoe and Nolan to stay over that night. And you, Mrs. Gregson, will be mine for the entire night.”
Tessa shivered as his lips caressed the side of her neck. “I’m yours every night,” she whispered. “And you know it.”
“Hmm.” Ian’s hand caressed the curve of her hip. “The children are definitely liable to tire themselves out tonight, aren’t they?”
“Absolutely,” she agreed. “In fact, I’m guessing after all the festivities and food and games that they’ll be worn out before we arrive home.”
“Best news I’ve had all day,” he chuckled. “So, tell me, Mrs. Gregson. What sort of very fetching undies do you have on underneath this sexy dress?”
She stifled a tiny moan as he gave her ass a discreet squeeze. “Um, they’re red,” she replied in a low voice. “Red lace. You know, for Christmas.”
“Mmm, more like red for sin,” he corrected, his hand splaying over her belly. “And I want to be very, very sinful with you tonight, Tessa. I haven’t fucked you in front of the mirror since before you got pregnant with the twins. So I really think we ought to remedy that situation tonight after all the little ones are fast asleep. Do you agree?”
“God, yes,” she murmured in a shallow voice. “For starters.”
Ian laughed, and she could feel the vibrations in his chest. “Greedy. Always so greedy, aren’t you?” he chided. “Fortunately, I’m just as hungry for you, darling. I wouldn’t plan on getting much sleep tonight if I were you. Good thing we rested up this past weekend.”
Tessa nodded. “And here I was just making a mental list of all the things that still need to get done before we leave for London in a few weeks. The parties, Gilly’s holiday pageant at school, taking her to the ballet, all the baking. And of course, I’ve still got a ton of Christmas shopping to do. Thank God we’ve got Zoe to help.”
“Would it be very ungentlemanly of me to say ‘I told you so’?” joked Ian.
She turned to face him then, wrapping her arms around his waist as she smirked. “Yes, but I’ll forgive you anyway,” she admitted. “I know how hard I fought against the idea of getting a nanny, but Zoe’s been wonderful. She lets me call the shots, doesn’t try to interfere or give me unwanted advice. And I actually get to spend more time with the children with her around. As usual, Mr. Gregson, you were right.”
Ian gave her a soft kiss on the lips. “I’ll try very hard not to gloat,” he teased, tucking a strand of glossy blonde hair behind her ear. “And I can also try and cross off at least one item on that very intimidating to-do list of yours.”
Tessa grinned. “You’re volunteering to bake Christmas cookies with Gilly and Liam?”
He tapped her on the nose with his finger. “Not unless you want me to burn the house down,” he retorted. “No, what I was going to say was that you can check my name off of your Christmas shopping list.”
She frowned. “Why on earth would I do that?”
“Because,” replied Ian, smiling so tenderly that it made her heart ache with the sheer emotion of it all, “I already have everything that I could ever want. My beautiful wife, my four wonderful children. And all of you are the only gifts I will ever need for the rest of my life.”
Dear Readers:
I hope that you enjoyed reading the continuation of the beautiful, once-in-a-lifetime love story of Tessa and Ian. It was a joy for me to spend time with these two incredible characters again, and I’m feeling a little teary-eyed at the moment as I finish this third and final chapter. They have always been my favorite couple, and seem as real to me as though they were sitting beside me right now.
Thank you all for your support and encouragement as I did what I feared would be impossible – write and release three full-length books in roughly a six-month period. At different times in the process I experienced frustration, regret, disbelief, joy, laughter, a few tears, and a great sense of relief.
As much as I will miss Tessa and Ian, there are now more stories to write. After a short break, I’m going to dive right back in and finish books five and six of the Inevitable series. Next up is Serenity, which will be the story of Sasha and Matthew, of which there were several hints/glimpses offered here in Claim. Last in the series will be Stronger, the story of Cara and Dante, who were both introduced in Shattered. I’m starting to think about a new trilogy after that one, no specific details yet, but I’m almost positive that one of the books would feature the playboy doctor Jordan Reeves, who you got to meet again in Claim.
Stay tuned as always to my Facebook page and blog for the most up to date news on new releases, excerpts, teasers, etc. And I always strive to answer your emails, messages, and comments as quickly as possible, so please be sure to say hello!
Wishing you all the best, and, as always, happy reading!
Website/Blog - http://www.janetnissenson.com
Email – [email protected]
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Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7375780.Janet_Nissenson
ADDITIONAL TITLES BY THIS AUTHOR
The Inevitable Series:
Serendipity (Book #1 – Julia and Nathan’s story)
Splendor (Book #2 – Tessa and Ian’s original story)
All You Need is Love (Book #1.5 – the Serendipity sequel)
Shattered (Book #3 – Angela and Nick’s story)
Sensational (Book #4 – Lauren and Ben’s story)
Coming soon:
Serenity (Book #5 – Sasha and Matthew’s story)
Stronger (Book #6 – Cara and Dante’s story)
The Splendor Series:
Covet (Book #1)
Crave (Book #2)
Claim (Book #3)
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