by Regina Wade
“You like it when I get rough, huh?” Nash asks, his voice dripping with sex.
“I like everything you do to me, Nash. I’ve thought about you a thousand different ways. There’s nothing you can’t do to me that I haven’t already fantasized about and enjoyed.” I grin back at him over my shoulder, but there’s a heat in his eyes that makes me worried I might have pushed him too far.
“We’ll see about that.” He smirks, then thrusts into me.
It’s a deep, sudden thrust that has me hissing, clawing back at him, trying to reach back and brace myself against him, to slow him at least even if I know there’s no way in hell he’s stopping. His hand finds mine though, his powerful body making mine bend to his will.
There’s nothing so sweet as the ache of him bottoming out inside me, filling me completely. It overwhelms my senses, pushes every button in my pussy. Nash works me like an instrument, alternating between pounding me relentlessly and giving me long and slow strokes that have me keening and crying out, thrashing beneath him, having orgasm after orgasm as he has his way with me.
His hair tangles in my hair, pulling me back, and then his teeth are sinking into the back of my neck and my vision actually whites out from the sensation overload. I can feel his cock throbbing, feel the pulse of him inside me, and instinctively I know that this is it, that there’s no way I’m not pregnant now.
A feeling I never thought I’d enjoy as much as I do.
Panting, we collapse, Nash rolling to the side to pull me into his arms.
“Still wasn’t anything I haven’t thought about before.” I murmur against him
“You really are a brat, Nicole. But it’s ok. I’ve thought of one more thing to try.”
“Tomorrow? I’m too sore for anything else, especially if it’s what I think it is.”
“No, no. Not that, although now I’m definitely going to try it tomorrow.” There’s a gleam in his eye as he pulls me in closer against him.
“What, then?” I ask.
“Well, how many times did you fantasize about me loving you forever, for the rest of our lives? Raising kids and growing old together?”
I smile up at him. “Not ever. It didn’t seem realistic enough. Couldn’t suspend my disbelief.”
“Well, guess I’ll try that one for the rest of your life and see if it works.”
I snuggle up against him, my eyes closing as sleep overtakes me.
“It’s a bet.”
Chapter 13
Epilogue One - Nash
Three months later
I wake up with the sun, like always. The light peeking in through the slats of my blinds is enough to rouse me, and I reach over to pull Nic closer against me. My hand hits empty bed, and through the fog of sleep comes the realization that she isn’t here.
Panic surges through me for one second before I remember leaving her with her friends the night before.
“We can’t sleep together the night before the wedding, Nash.”
“Why not?” I asked, but she just laughed and pushed me away.
“Because I need to conserve my strength. Go on.”
“If it’s that taxing, we can call the whole thing off and just go to the courthouse.” I joke. She rolls her eyes but keeps trying to shove ineffectually at my chest.
“It’s not the ceremony, big guy. It’s the wedding night. I need all my strength to keep up with you.” her face breaks into a wicked grin, and now it’s my turn to roll my eyes.
“Fine. But this is the last night you ever spend apart from me, Nicole.” I grumble, relenting.
She reaches forward and pulls me down for a kiss.
“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
The house is empty without Nicole. In just a few short months, I’ve gotten used to her. She might be smaller than I am, but her presence fills the house to overflowing. I always thought I had a nice house, but only in the last few weeks have I appreciated the difference between a house and a home.
A house is where your body rests. A home is where your heart lives.
My home is wherever Nicole is.
Which unfortunately for me, isn’t in my house today. I keep the morning routine quiet out of habit, even though there’s no one to hear the clang of pans or the sizzle of bacon. I take my morning dip after my first cup of coffee, floating in the gentle waves, greeting the day properly.
The last day Nicole will be Nicole West, and the first day of being Nicole Winston.
When I get back to the house, there’s a figure sitting in the kitchen. My heart leaps at the thought of Nicole having snuck over here — it would be like her to surprise me. But the blotch through the window is too big to be my girl.
“Nash, you’ve got terrible taste in coffee. This stuff is like battery acid.”
I shake my head as I push through the door, toweling off and wiping my sandy feet on the rug by the door.
“Alex, you’ve got to stop drinking that stuff. No wonder you got so high strung. Acid is for hippies, man.”
Alex stands up, thrusting another mug of coffee into my hands.
“Thanks, but I already had one.”
“It’s going to be a busy day. I need you fully charged. We might not have much in the way of family between us, except for us three, but the whole fucking island seems to have turned out.”
I shrug. “We’re pretty popular. Nicole likes being involved in the community.”
Alex smirks at me. “Good to know you two keep busy. I don’t want to be an uncle just yet, you know.”
He says it so casually that I’m not anticipating it at all. I school my face instantly into a perfectly normal grin, but Alex must have seen something, because his eyes go wide.
“Oh shit. Don’t tell me this is a shotgun wedding, Nash?”
I let the grin fully bloom on my face.
“Technically no. That would require her father forcing me at gunpoint to make an honest woman of her. Unless you brought the Remington, there’s no gun, and besides I’d marry her without any coercion.”
“You know what I mean, you asshole. Is my sister pregnant already?”
I chuckle. “Already? It’s been three months, Alex.”
“Well, shit. I was saving these for later, but I guess now is as good a time as any.” Alex pulls out two long cigars and hands one over to me.
“Cheers, brother.”
“You know, it’s funny. Growing up, all my life really, I always felt like we were more than just friends. You’ve always been my brother. I guess now it’s going to be official though, huh?”
I nod. “I feel the same way. Let’s smoke these and then get suited up. It’s going to be a hell of a day.”
“Don’t worry. For once, you sit back and let me handle all the trouble. It’s your special day.”
Alex is true to his word. Any gathering of this many people is bound to have issues, but I don’t hear about a single one. Alex might be too tightly wound, but he’s good at his job. Not only does he troubleshoot all of the problems, but he gets me the one thing I want. He arranges for a brief window of time where Nicole isn’t being fawned over by half the women of the island.
I close the door behind me, making sure to keep my back turned.
“Hello, gorgeous.” I say to the door. I can’t see her of course, but I can hear her gasp of surprise.
“Nash! You can’t be in here! It’s bad luck.”
“That only counts if I see you, and I can’t. See?” I shrug, hoping she relents.
“Alright, but make it quick. My retinue will be back soon.”
“We’ve got a few minutes. Your brother is strip-hulaing.” I say, humor touching the edge of my words.
Nicole takes a moment to process the mental image.
“Well, that’s horrifying but it ought to work to distract them.” I can hear the rustle of fabric, and I catch a glimpse of ivory in the corner of my eye before I avert my gaze. I’m a man of my word, after all.
“Alright. Come here and put your h
and in my pocket.” I say.
Nicole chuckles. “That sounds like the start of every bad porno I’ve ever seen.”
“You’ve seen a lot?” I frown, letting it seep into my voice.
“I get bored when you’re out riding the waves.” There’s a distinctly hot undertone to her teasing. She’s joking, but there’s an undercurrent of truth to her words.
“I’ll make sure to leave you properly sated before I go out from now on.”
“Good. It’s one thing to leave your girlfriend unsatisfied, but you can’t treat your wife like that.” The teasing words are whispered right behind me, and they send a thrill of pleasure racing through me. Then I feel her hand reach into my pants pocket and fish around, blatantly groping my already hard cock.
“Oh my. What a surprise.” Nicole deadpans.
“Not that. The other pocket.” I groan.
“Are you sure? I like this surprise a lot.” Her hand lingers, fisting around my growing girth even through the cloth of my slacks.
“You were the one who wanted to spend the night apart.” I groan again, this time in pleasure.
“It was a terrible idea. I was bored and horny all night.” She reaches around, unzipping my fly, fishing my cock out and taking it in both hands, stroking it slowly.
“Nicole…” I growl, unable to turn to face her, unwilling to stop her.
“Fine. But I plan to finish this later.” She leans around me, giving the tip of my cock a quick kiss as I slam my eyes shut to avoid any sight of her.
“Now, what’s in this box? Is it another cock?!” She gasps in mock surprise. I roll my eyes so hard I’m surprised she doesn't hear them.
“Open the damn box, woman.” I growl, losing patience rapidly.
“Alright, alright.” There’s a pregnant pause as I hear the click of the hinge being opened. Even without being able to see it, I know the look on Nicole’s face. Stunned surprise and raw emotion.
“Nash, is this…”
“Yes. It’s the necklace you gave me when I left.” I answer.
I feel an impact as she throws herself against my back, her arms wrapping tightly around my waist.
“You big jerk. Do you have any idea how many hours of makeup you just ruined?” I can hear how choked up she is.
“It’ll be fine.” I turn to pull her against my chest, keeping my eyes closed.
“Here, ruin my shirt too.” I say teasingly as she buries her face against me.
“Why did you keep it? It was so stupid.”
“Because it was a piece of you I could carry with me wherever I went. Australia, Europe, South America...that necklace has been all over the world.
“I thought you just forgot about it. I never saw you wearing it on TV.” She whispers against me.
“I didn’t want to risk losing it if I wiped out. It was too precious to risk. Just like you.”
Eyes still closed, I lean down, tilting her chin up to press my lips against hers.
Between us, my phone vibrates with two short buzzes. We separate, and I turn back around.
“That’s the signal. I have to go.”
“Alright. The next time I see you, you better marry me, Nash.”
I grin as I slip away.
That’s exactly what I do.
Chapter 14
Extended Epilogue - Nicole
Ten years Later
“Nathan, go get your Dad and your sister. Tell them lunch is just about ready.” I tell my oldest son.
Nathan bolts for the ocean, and I can’t help but smile as I watch him run. He’s got the enthusiasm and energy that comes with being a rambunctious young boy. He’s growing so fast, too. None of my children seem to take after me, they’re all going to end up as tall as their father.
I look out to the ocean, shielding my eyes from the glare of the sun. I can just make out two distant figures, one distinctly bigger than the other, ganglier one. Natalie isn’t anywhere near as big as her father, but she’s gangly, long limbed, and just as comfortable in the ocean as Nash is.
I set the plate of sandwiches aside, grabbing one off the top. I rub my stomach. Nash wasn’t kidding about our sex life giving me a constant appetite, but even I wasn’t prepared for how hungry being pregnant makes me. I briefly wonder just how much money we’d save on groceries if I didn’t eat almost as much as my husband despite being half his size.
Then again, I can’t help but enjoy being pregnant again. We said we’d stop after four, but then there was our anniversary trip in Paris two months ago, and here we are.
“Nathan! Don’t run so fast, ok!” I call out as my oldest son scampers back towards the blanket where the rest of us are waiting, watching Nash teaching Natalie how to ride the waves.
“Mommy, when can I go surf with Daddy?” Nancy asks. She’s the youngest at six, but she’s been asking me that since she was old enough to talk.
“You know the answer to that, munchkin. When he says you're ready.” I give her a kiss on the cheek to take the sting out of my answer.
If I thought Nash was overprotective about me, I wasn’t prepared for just how single minded he would be about our children. It warms my heart to know that he’s always watching out for them. He really is the best husband in the world.
“Dad said I’m almost ready.” Nick says proudly, thrusting his chest out in a cute approximation of his dad.
“That’s great, Nick. I’m sure you’ll be out there in no time.”
“Why doesn’t Nathan ever go out? He’s old enough.” Nancy asks.
I smile as I ruffle her hair.
“Nathan takes after me, sweety. He likes to sit in the shade and read and watch you guys more than he likes to do it himself. Everyone is different, and that’s ok.” I hand out some sandwiches to my kids as the rest of the family begins to walk back towards us.
“Oh. I’d be sad if I didn’t like the waves.”
“We like them plenty, honey. Who knows, maybe Nathan will grow into it. I certainly didn’t like them nearly as much until your Dad and I got together.”
“Yeah. That’s what Uncle Alex said!”
I narrow my eyes at Nancy, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh? What exactly did Uncle Alex say?”
Alex had volunteered to watch the whole brood while we were in Paris for our anniversary, making baby number five. At the time I hadn't questioned it, but…
“He said we should all be more well-behaved, like you were before you and Dad fell in love.”
I smile. I’ve been a mom long enough to read between the lines.
“And what were the four of you doing when he said that?”
“Well I was practicing the drums like they do on the beach, only Uncle Alex doesn't have drums so I was using his biggest pots. Natalie was trying to practice surfing on his couch but she kept falling off because Nathan and Nancy were shaking it too hard, and that’s when he said that. It was kind of scary, like when Dad caught us swimming alone last year.”
I nod along sympathetically. The kids had thought a little unsupervised dip in the ocean would be perfectly safe. Nash had been furious, the only time I’ve ever seen him truly angry. I’d known it was just his fear for their safety that had left him shaking, but it was a good time to hammer in the danger of being without an adult in the ocean.
“You kids still remember your lesson about the tides though, huh? And I bet you will be better when you go visit your Uncle next time.”
“Next time? Uggggh. Do we haaaave to? When?”
“I was thinking soon, actually. It’d do us all good. Alex needs to learn how to deal with kids better, you guys need some socialization with people outside our island, and your father and I could both use another break.”
“Your birthday is coming up, babe. Let’s drop them all off on his doorstep then.” Nash muses, walking up and planting a kiss on my cheek. Nathan is riding piggyback on his Dad’s shoulders, while Natalie is struggling to carry her board with both arms.
“I don’t know. I’ll
miss the kids if we don’t have them.” I say, right before they devolve into a screaming match over who gets the last sandwich.
“Really?” Nash raises an eyebrow as he pulls me in close.
“You’re right. Let’s just leave them all with Alex and run away forever. I hear New Zealand is great this time of year.”
We laugh, and kiss, and I give him a squeeze.
Jokes aside, I couldn’t be happier with life right now.
Everything is perfect.
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Meeting Madison: Insta-Love Office Book 1
Also by Regina Wade
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Getting Lucky
Crowning Glory
Rising Star
Rising Heat
Love in the Time of Quarantine:
Quarantine and Chill
Quarantine and Cash
Quarantine and Cuffs
Quarantine and Cowboy
Quarantine and Church
Quarantine and Crime
Alpha Authority:
Protecting Her Curves
Saving her Curves
Rescuing Her Curves
Alphas of the Diamond:
Hitting the Curve
About the Author
Regina Wade writes steamy, short romances that can be devoured in one sitting. She likes her heroines curvy and smart, her heroes big and bad, and her love stories as OTT as she can make them. Sometimes tongue-in-cheek, always tongues in cheeks.