Legacy (Montgomery Brothers Series ~ Book 1)

by Laura Pavlov

  “Oh baby, I’ve been thinking about this since the day I met you in that conference room. Just didn’t want to rush you.” I unbuttoned my dress shirt and tugged it off my shoulders, letting it drop to the floor.

  Harley moved to push up on her knees and she reached for the belt on my suit pants. She yanked it off and started to undo the button on my pants. I didn’t miss the tremble in her hands. I needed to remember she hadn’t done this in a long time. Hell, she hadn’t done this much in her life. I never really stopped to put thought into sex. I just did it. And I was fucking good at it. But I needed to be more aware with her.

  Slow.

  “Hey, there’s nothing to be nervous about.” I covered her hands with mine, pushing my pants down my legs.

  “I’m not nervous,” she said, looking up at me before she tugged my boxers down and gasped when she saw how ready I was. “Okay, maybe I’m a little nervous.”

  I kicked out of my boxers and moved her back on the bed before settling above her. “You don’t need to be. I plan on taking my time.”

  “Oh my god,” she whispered, and I chuckled as I kissed my way down her body once again. Goose bumps covered her skin and damn if it didn’t do something to me. She put on such a tough front—always so stoic, but Harley DeLuca was pure sweetness. And I’d never get enough of her.

  “Ford. Please,” she moaned, tugging my head back up and kissing me hard.

  I pushed to stand and pulled my wallet from my pants to get a condom. I covered myself and she edged up on her elbows to watch. “I won’t make you wait.”

  She bit down on her bottom lip, and I leaned over her again, covering her sweet mouth. I settled between her legs and pulled back to look at her one last time. She smiled and nodded before tugging my head down to kiss her again.

  “I want to look at you. I want to see your face when I make you mine. When I claim you in every way.”

  I pushed forward, slowly. She sucked in a deep breath as I buried myself inside her. And nothing had ever felt so good. Nothing could have prepared me for this.

  Pure ecstasy.

  Her nails dug into my back, and we moved together. Perfectly in sync. Like we were made for one another. I took my time, relishing every moment.

  We were both sweating and panting. Desperate and needy.

  “You feel so good, baby.”

  She moaned. “Don’t hold back.”

  “Never,” I said, reaching my hand between us, finding her sweet spot.

  “Ford,” she cried out, and her entire body shook beneath me. I leaned down to kiss her, just as I went over the edge right along with her. A sound I’d never heard left my body. She clung to me like her life depended on it.

  “Jesus,” I said, lying there breathless. I moved to my feet and made my way to the bathroom, tossing the condom in the trash.

  When I returned, she was lying on her side, the sheet was covering her body, and her head was propped on one elbow. Her face was flush, and she flashed me a wicked grin.

  “Wow,” she said, wriggling her brows.

  I pushed the sheet down. I needed to see her. “Wow is fucking right.”

  I slipped in bed beside her and we stared at one another in silence for a few minutes.

  “So that was different,” she said.

  “How so?” I asked, pushing her wild, dark mane of hair out of her face.

  “Well, I’ve never, you know.” She shrugged. So goddamn sweet.

  “You’ve never orgasmed during sex?” I asked.

  She reached for the sheet and pulled it over her head. “My god, Montgomery. You just say it, huh?”

  I lifted one side of the sheet and pushed my head beneath with her. “Yeah. It’s just sex. You don’t need to be embarrassed. I love that I’m the first to give you that pleasure. And trust me when I tell you, it’ll be your first of many. I plan on repeating this a couple more times tonight.”

  She reached up to stroke my hair. “I never knew it could be like this.”

  “That piece-of-shit Todd was clearly a selfish prick.”

  “Yeah. In his defense, I didn’t know what I was doing. It was always just quick. Not very intimate. Not like this,” she said, and her dark browns locked with mine.

  “Trust me, you don’t need to know what you’re doing for it to be enjoyable. He was just an asshole. You’re already a pro.” I kissed her as we huddled beneath the sheet.

  And within minutes we were back at it.

  Because now that I’d had a taste of Harley DeLuca, I’d never get enough.

  It was the first Sunday in August, which meant brunch at my mother’s. The first of every month, no matter what, we always dropped what we were doing to get together. And this time I’d be bringing my girlfriend along with me. Harley agreed to take the helicopter so we could have more time in bed and skip the long drive.

  “It’s so pretty here. I bet it was a fun place to grow up,” she said as we made our way up the driveway to my mother’s house. The house I’d grown up in.

  “Yeah. We were always getting in trouble.”

  I pushed the door open, and Jack rounded the corner.

  “Harls,” he shouted, lifting my girlfriend off the ground, and spinning her around. Her long floral dress fluttered around her.

  I rolled my eyes. “Put her down.”

  “So protective. I love this side of you, brother.”

  Harley settled back on her feet, and I intertwined my fingers with hers. I’d never been one for public displays of affection, but something about her brought out a different side of me. I didn’t give a shit what anyone thought. I wanted her with me. Beside me. All the fucking time.

  “Sweetheart, I’m so happy you’re here,” Mom said, pulling Harley in for a hug.

  “Thank you so much for having me. Your home is gorgeous.”

  “Thank you. Ford can give you the tour. Come on in, Harrison’s making mimosas.” My mother led the way.

  “Har-bears got a girl here, and I think the shit is about to hit the fan,” Jack whispered so only Harley and I could hear him.

  It wasn’t unusual for my brothers to bring women to brunch. I never had, because I never stuck around long enough to have breakfast with anyone in the past.

  “Who is it?” I kept my voice low.

  “Zoe.”

  “Zoe Baron?”

  “The one and only.”

  “I thought you hooked up with her a few months ago? Didn’t she lose her shit on you?” I asked.

  “Yep. And I never told Harrison about it, because I know he thinks she’s hot. I’m pretty sure she ran into him last night and purposely got herself invited today. I’ve been sort of avoiding her these last few months and I think she’s pissed. She glared at me when they arrived, making sure no one saw her do it. She’s got something up her sleeve. And if Har-bear hooked up with her last night, he’s going to kill me.”

  “Jesus. Can you not keep your dick in your pants for five fucking minutes?” I hissed, and Harley chuckled.

  “Dude, she was the one who hit on me that night. I’m only human. But Harrison isn’t going to be happy, so I’ve got to tell him before this goes any further,” he said nervously as we entered the large great room.

  Harrison stood behind the bar, and we beelined his way.

  “Hey, so glad you’re here.” He came around and hugged my girlfriend before giving me a half-hug.

  Harley smiled. “Happy to be here.”

  “Where’s Zoe?” Jack asked, his gaze scanning the room.

  “She’s in the bathroom.”

  “Dude. We need to talk,” Jack said, reaching for a mimosa, tipping his head back and chugging the entire glass.

  Just then Zoe returned from the restroom. “Ford, hey, long time no see.”

  “Fuck,” Jack mumbled under his breath, and I shoved him ou
t of the way and gave Zoe a hug.

  “Good to see you. This is my girlfriend, Harley.”

  “Nice to meet you,” they both said in unison and laughed.

  Mom called us to come to the dining room, and we took our seats at the long oval table. Harrison sat beside Zoe, my mother was at the head of the table and Jack, Harley, and I sat on the other side across from them.

  Lorena and Celine brought out platters of food. Scrambled eggs, waffles, bacon, sausage, yogurt, and fresh fruit. We started passing the food around the table, and my mom asked Harley all about the bakery. Conversation flowed, but Jack remained quiet. Which was a rarity in itself.

  “So, Zoe, it’s nice to see you. It’s been a while,” my mother said as she scooped some fruit onto her plate.

  “Thank you, it’s a pleasure to see you as well. It was a nice surprise to run into Harrison last night, and I asked about you all, and he was kind enough to extend the invitation to me today.”

  “What have you been up to?” Mom asked.

  “Well, after your youngest son took me to bed, and then called me by the wrong name the following morning even though we’ve known one another our entire lives—I’ve been pretty busy.”

  Jack coughed and spit a mouthful of mimosa across the table. Harley fell over in a fit of laughter, and Harrison’s mouth hung open as he glared at our baby brother.

  “You didn’t want to mention this last night when we spoke?” Harrison asked Zoe.

  “Nah. I thought it would be more fun this way. He’s avoided me ever since, and I figured Monica would want to know what her son had been up to. I mean, at the very least, he could have apologized.”

  “So, you came here to tattle on me?” Jack shouted as he tried to wipe up his mess on the table. My mother sat perfectly quiet as she watched the scene play out in front of her.

  “Damn straight, Jack ass. Pun intended, by the way.”

  “For the record, I avoided you because you called me an asshole and kicked me out of your house. Quite frankly—you scare the shit out of me.”

  “You forgot my goddamn name.” She pushed to her feet and shouted.

  “How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not good with names.” Jack threw his hands in the air. The dude didn’t have a mean bone in his body, but he managed to fuck up often.

  Zoe chucked her napkin in Jack’s face and turned to my mother. “Sorry for the drama, Monica. Thanks for having me. I’ll see you soon.”

  “I’m sorry that my son was so disrespectful, Zoe. I assure you it’s not something I’m proud of,” Mom said, shooting a glare at Jack. I couldn’t help but laugh. The little asshole got away with murder most of the time. It was nice to see him sweat every once in a while.

  “Sorry Harrison. I should have been honest. But I couldn’t let that little weasel get away with it,” Zoe said, giving Harrison a hug.

  I continued to eat, because in all honesty, this wasn’t all that odd for a Sunday brunch at the homestead. Shit always went down when we all got together. Harley was watching with pure fascination and I reached for her hand under the table.

  “Yeah. A heads-up would have been nice. But Jack’s at fault here,” he said.

  “Hey. The weasel can hear you,” Jack shouted, following Zoe out of the room.

  “Well, that was interesting,” Mom said, and we all burst out in laughter.

  “I should have known something was up. The girl has never given me the time of day, and she pushed really hard to come to brunch.” Harrison snatched some bacon off the plate.

  “Har-bear, I fucked up. How pissed are you on a scale of one to ten?” Jack said when he waltzed back in the dining room.

  Harrison rolled his eyes. “Whatever, dude. You should have just told me. But I’m glad I didn’t hook up with her.”

  “Sorry, Mom,” Jack said, moving to stand behind our mother. He leaned over her chair and hugged her, tossing a wink at my girlfriend.

  Conniving bastard.

  “You need to do better, Jackie boy. It’s not okay. Zoe’s a nice girl.” Mom reached her hand back to pat his cheek.

  “Welcome to the shit show, Harls,” Jack said when he returned to his seat.

  Harley laughed and squeezed my hand beneath the table. “This is the most entertaining brunch I’ve ever been to.”

  Harley laughed as Jack tried to win her sympathy, and Harrison joked about getting a pity hug. And just like that, my girl was a part of this family. She fit right in here.

  She fit perfectly everywhere.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Harley

  The next few weeks were a whirlwind. Ford and I were together in every sense of the word. I’d never had a relationship like this. Overpowering and all-consuming. I missed him when I wasn’t with him, which was crazy. We both worked long hours, and we spent every free hour together. We talked about everything. He convinced me to stay at his place most nights, but every once in a while we’d spend the night at my studio. But truth be told, his bathtub sold me on the place. I swam in it every night. Ford usually drank a glass of wine and sat beside the tub while I bathed, but he promised to get in there with me one of these days.

  The morning rush was over, and Molly and I were cleaning up when the door chimed. I looked up to see the woman I’d met a few months ago that I’d thought was on a date with Ford.

  “Chanel, hey, nice to see you again,” I said. I knew how important she and her family were to Ford, and I looked forward to getting to know all of them.

  “Hi there. I thought I’d stop by and say hello, and maybe snag a few cookies while I’m here.” She laughed. The weather was getting chillier as fall was on its way, and she wore a thin black sweater, and black fitted dress slacks. She was the epitome of elegance. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a classic chignon, and her sky-high heels made me feel short in comparison.

  Molly came out and I introduced them and let her know my best friend was currently applying to law school. Chanel offered for her to come check out her office, and Molly fluttered off excitedly. I grabbed Chanel a bag of cookies and joined her at one of our quaint little tables.

  “I hear you’ve kind of tamed the beast,” she teased, reaching in the bag and moaning when she took her first bite.

  I chuckled. “I don’t know about that, but we’re having fun.”

  “I can’t even get him on the calendar now. I asked him if we could all go to dinner a few times, but he seems to want you all to himself.” A warm smile spread across her face. “It’s good to see Ford happy.”

  My heart raced at her words. I was trying to keep myself reined in as this was all happening so fast. My feelings were strong where this man was concerned, and as happy as that made me, it also terrified the hell out of me. I didn’t like depending on others. Nor did I want to need anyone. Life always got tricky when you put all your eggs in one basket. I’d learned that at a young age with my mother.

  “That’s nice to hear. And I’d love to go to dinner sometime soon. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone at the big fundraiser at the winery next month. Ford speaks so highly of your family. I know your dad really stepped up for him when he lost his father. I’m looking forward to getting to know you all,” I said honestly. Ford had met my grandfather twice now, as we’d gone out to see him and taken him to lunch. And though I knew the Montgomerys pretty well, Chanel’s family was a big part of his life too.

  “That’s perfect. It’s such a fun event. Wait until you see it. No one throws a party quite like Monica Montgomery,” she said.

  “Yeah, Ford said it’s pretty formal.” I chewed on my fingernail, as I would have to find something to wear, and those events always made me a little uncomfortable.

  “Yes, ma’am. Everyone is dressed to the nines. It’s going to be loads of fun,” she said, reaching in her bag for another cookie.

  “So, I hear you’
ve got a big case you’re working on.” Ford had shared that Chanel was a prominent attorney, and she worked at the hottest firm in town. She’d attended Harvard Law, and according to my boyfriend, she was a force to be reckoned with.

  “Yep. And some of the old men at the firm are not happy about it. But they can suck it. I’ve sort of put a big gaping hole in their little boys’ club, you know?”

  I laughed. “Good for you. You’re paving the way for all women.”

  Nobody loved girl power more than me, and Chanel was a badass woman. I was happy to see that we’d get on really well.

  “Amen, sister. Let’s get together soon. I need to get back to the office, but I’ll look forward to spending some time with you at the event in Napa. And let’s bully your boyfriend into sharing you with the rest of us sometime soon.”

  “You got it,” I said, pushing to my feet as a few customers walked through the door.

  She leaned over and gave me a hug before leaving.

  The rest of the day was business as usual. DeLiciously Yours was swamped all afternoon. Ford texted me between meetings and tried to convince me to run upstairs and see him, but I’d yet to find a break in my day.

  I pulled some dough from the fridge and started to roll out a few batches of butter cookies for tomorrow. Molly grabbed a big hunk of dough and jumped to sit on the counter.

  “Damn. Who knew working at a bakery was so much work?” she said as she scrolled through her phone.

  “Exactly. That’s why you need to wear tennis shoes, girl. You keep trying to pull off these cute shoes.”

  “Hey, it’s almost Fall. The booties are all the rage. I’ve just got to break these babies in a little.” Molly held her leg up to show me her cute heeled boot.

  “Fashion is overrated when you’re on your feet all day. You’re going to need to help me find an outfit to wear to this big fundraiser in Napa. Apparently, it’s pretty swanky.”

  “Done. You know how much I love to dress you. You clean up well, kid,” she said and we both laughed. “Ooh, look who’s trending on social media.”

  I glanced over my shoulder to see Molly hold her phone up for me as I read the caption: San Francisco’s sexiest bachelor is off the market. I rolled my eyes. I didn’t pay much attention to any of that stuff, but I’d noticed photographers a few times when Ford and I had been out, but he always managed to shield me. We usually went back to his place, or my place, so we hadn’t been out in public all that much. But apparently word travels fast.