by Isabel James
“Avery!”
The harsh shout came from the front door behind her. She didn’t look back but sprinted, as fast as her legs could carry toward her car, unlocking it as she approached.
She had the car started and pulled away before she’d even slammed the door closed with another loud, “Avery!” sounding in her ears.
She looked in her rearview mirror. Her eyes widened and then she began to giggle. The sight was too funny even for her frazzled mind to ignore.
Stone Jenning was standing buck naked with his legs spread wide, his arms on his hips, and his dangling bits noticeably shriveled by the icy cold of the predawn air.
Avery’s humor had dissipated by the time she sneaked into her house in the quiet neighborhood of Minnetonka.
She removed her boots and ran barefoot upstairs to her room. She quickly pulled on her favorite pajamas before she padded silently to Wyatt’s room.
Her eyes hazed over as she stared at her beautiful baby boy; her little bundle of joy. Wyatt had come to her with the unexpected shock of a whirlwind, upending her life. She still remembered the shock when Doc Sutton had informed her with a gentle smile that she was pregnant. She would never forget the words he had said when he noticed her stunned expression.
“A baby in many ways is a blessing, Avery. Let him be yours.”
She didn’t believe him at the time, too overwrought with the news that she was about to become a mother. A baby born from one night of unexpurgated passion with a man who was a known playboy—a rogue who exulted in the women who swooned over him. A man who did not appear to have one iota of fatherhood in his DNA―and the one man she had been infatuated with for the past ten years. Ever since she had literally bumped into the muscled friend of her cousin, Dave, at his twenty-first birthday party. Stone had chuckled as he assisted her up from the floor where she’d been sprawled staring at him with frozen limbs.
“Careful there, sweetheart. You’re too pretty to break one of those gorgeous legs.” Before Avery could respond, his blond girlfriend had dragged him away. Since then, she had drooled over him—always from afar.
That one night a year ago with him had been her reward for suffering that hankering for so long. Only, she hadn’t expected to be left with a Christmas present at the time.
Her mother had been devastated and promptly made an appointment with a clinic for an abortion. Avery had been livid.
“I am not having an abortion, Mother. I’m thirty-four years old and don’t need your permission for anything. I am having this baby.”
“But you’re a single woman. It’s a travesty, Avery. How could you do this to our family?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake Mother,” she’d ignored her mother’s indignant gasp. “It’s the 21st century. Being a single parent has become the norm, no one bats an eyelid over it anymore.”
“I refuse to acknowledge that child as family,” her mother had snapped back.
“Then so be it, Mother, but if I ever hear you utter one derogatory word against my child, you will rue the day you gave birth to me.”
Avery recalled how she had slammed down the receiver and since that day, had not heard another word from her mother. In return, she had never bothered to contact her either.
Avery had been badly hurt by her mother’s words and attitude, especially when she went into labor and would have liked her support.
The pregnancy had been difficult. She’d suffered with high blood pressure and the tension of expanding their business at the time hadn’t helped. Closer to her due date, Avery was forced to sit on a high chair decorating wedding cakes because her feet got so swollen she could barely walk, let alone stand on them for hours on end.
Her little boy, her Wyatt, had become a blessing in her life. He’d taken away the loneliness and regrets she had lived with since the day Avery found out about the pregnancy.
Her heart hammered against her chest. It was one year ago today, when she had run away from his father, silently, like a thief in the night . . . without him knowing who she was or where to find her.
It was the knowledge that he wouldn’t know where to find her, which led Avery to make the decision to keep Wyatt’s existence from the man who had given him life.
Wyatt squirmed his little body until he managed to worm his hands loose from the tightly wrapped blanket. His eyes popped open, like they always did. It had amazed her at first but she’d gotten used to it, the way he awoke so abruptly.
His bright, blue-green baby eyes found Avery’s and his arms lunged and jerked in excitement. The soft gurgles from his widely spread mouth were the sweetest sounds, unblemished by the hurts of life. His little face glowed from a light within as his miniature fingers grasped hers, and held tight. His mouth pulled into a pout and his brows drew together.
“Oh my god,” Avery breathed.
He knew. Somehow it felt like he always knew when his mom needed comfort in the dead silence of night, suffering from the loss of something she never truly had, but which created pain in her nonetheless.
“My beautiful, little darling boy,” Avery cooed with watery eyes as she held him tightly against her chest.
He was the most precious thing in her entire existence and she would protect him with everything she had in her.
But how do I protect myself against the wrath of a father when he finds out about his son?
Avery had realized with belated horror on the way home that this time, Stone knew who she was and where to find her. There would be no point attempting to lie to him about Wyatt’s parentage because he was a mirror image of Stone Jenning as a baby, based on the pictures she’d seen in the hallway of his house.
The moment Stone saw Wyatt, he would know. Avery dreaded what the formidable man might do once the realization washed over him.
Chapter Six
“Wonderful! You’re just in time to stuff the turkey,” Avery said jovially as she opened the door to allow Jesse to enter.
“And here I thought I was going to play with our little guy and watch you cook,” he said in a pretend annoyed grunt.
Avery laughed, his presence always managed to relax her.
“Wyatt is sleeping and will be for at least another three hours, so in the meantime, buster,” she tossed a flowery pink apron at him which he caught deftly in his hands, “get busy.”
“You’re not serious,” he said, staring at the girly piece of material in his hands. The expression on his face was comical, like he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be insulted.
Avery shrugged and flicked her finger up and down his stylishly clad body. “Well, it’s either that or walk around with splatters of fat all over your Versace shirt.”
Avery laughed as he quickly donned the apron. Jesse always looked good enough to eat. Of course, he claimed all the chicks expected him to look good, which was the reason he spent a large chunk of his salary enhancing his wardrobe.
“You better warn that cousin of yours, if he as much as smiles at my attire, I’m cutting off his balls,” he grumbled.
“Dave? Oh, damn, I forgot he’s back in town.” Avery took out some extra potatoes and vegetables. “I haven’t seen him since he came back from Australia two weeks ago.”
It has become tradition for Jesse to pop in for Thanksgiving and Christmas lunch. Dave always joined them if he was in town. His job as an investigative reporter took him away from home quite often.
Dave arrived an hour later with an armful of presents which he carefully placed under the stylishly decorated Christmas tree in the den before he joined them in the kitchen.
“I expected you to drop by earlier, cuz. Been busy?” Avery asked as she handed him a cup of eggnog. She was a sucker for old traditions, especially on Christmas.
“Yeah, and I’m off to South Africa in the New year. The political crisis there warrants some in-depth investigation, especially in line with the treaty they’ve signed with certain countries.”
“As long as you don’t stick your nose in where it would get
you into trouble. Wyatt already loves his uncle Dave,” she cautioned. She couldn’t hide the concern about the dangers he faced at times.
Dave hugged her briefly. “Thanks for always worrying about me, cuz, but I’ll be fine.”
The atmosphere was relaxed and charming throughout lunch. Avery felt blessed that she had their company to make her feel wanted over the festive season. It was in times like these that she missed her parents. Her eyes blurred. Her father had not dared to oppose her mother and he too had cut her out of his life.
To Avery, parents were supposed to care for and protect their children. It hurt that she meant so little to them and that their status in the community was more important.
They didn’t even know whether her child had been a girl or boy, what his name was, or what he looked like.
After Jesse and Dave left in mid-afternoon, Avery was listless. She stared out of the window at the snowy fairytale her back yard had turned into.
She closed her eyes to allow the vision that had been lurking in the back of her mind to flash like a movie trailer. It was so vivid she could feel his arms around her, as hard and as steady a rock. She felt a rush of helplessness; a surging tide of warmth that left her limp in his proximity.
“Oh lord, get out of my mind,” she moaned, but it was in vain as her mind conjured up the next scene of how she had been lost in the gentleness of his touch, so tender, yet wrought with passion. Goosebumps broke out all over her body as she recalled how he had trailed his fingers over her arms with feather-like touches; then her shoulders, which had caused her breath to falter as he traced a line toward her breasts.
His deep voice drifted into her mind, “So beautiful and so responsive to my touch. Almost like they have been waiting just for me.” His eyes had lifted to scorch her with a look so scathingly hot, she couldn’t breathe. “Only my touch.”
The possessiveness of his words, and the way he made love to her had shaken her. She’d floated on a cloud of serenity; peace and acceptance. She had been scared by what it had made her feel. What it made her want:
Him.
To be in his arms.
It was where she wanted to be; where she belonged.
“I have to get out of here.”
Fifteen minutes later, she was in her happy place. The small little kitchen at Divine Catering where she created and decorated the intricate wedding cakes she was known for.
Wyatt had been bathed and fed and would sleep for at least four hours before he woke up for his night feed. Her neighbor, Anna, had become the grandmother his own denied him and she loved watching over him. She was delighted when Avery had asked if she could leave him with her for a couple of hours.
The radio station was playing Christmas carols and with the soothing notes in the background, Avery soon relaxed and became immersed in her work.
“Hmm, that should do it, I think,” she murmured with satisfaction.
“Do you always invite trouble, Avery?”
“Jesus!” she exclaimed in fright at the deep voice that came from behind her. She pivoted, her hand over her heart that was thumping wildly inside her chest. “You scared the living daylights out of me.”
“I can’t believe you’re that negligent. The door was wide open. Anyone could’ve walked in here,” he scowled at her.
Avery swallowed; caught in the heat of Stone’s eyes which disintegrated the fear that had momentarily filled her mind.
“I’m sure I closed it when I came in,” she mumbled, but admitted silently to the possibility that she had been so caught up in her thoughts of this very man, it might have slipped her mind.
He muttered something indiscernible in response. He continued to stare at her, the frown between his brows ominous and warned Avery that he was still annoyed with her.
“What are you doing here,” she asked. She did her best to keep her voice even when he took a couple of steps closer.
“Do you make a habit of running away from your lovers, Avery, or am I the lucky one?”
Avery paled.
He couldn’t know. There’s no way he could know it was me last year!
But the glimmer in his eyes said the opposite. Somehow, Stone Jenning knew she had been the masked woman at the ball the previous year.
“H-how did you know?” She stammered. Her fingers unconsciously squeezed the piping bag in her hand. “Shit,” she muttered when a thin line of icing squirted over her hand. She lifted her hand to lick the sugary treat from her fingers.
“Oh,” she gasped when Stone caught her hand in his and lifted her fingers to his lips. He licked the icing off with slow twirls of his tongue around her digits while his eyes blazed into hers.
Her stomach lurched.
He sucked a finger into his mouth, his tongue flicking at the tip in a copycat move of how he’d sucked her clitoris the previous night. It set that little nub throbbing. He pulled her finger out, flicking his tongue at the web between her fingers, licking, sucking until her knees began to wobble.
“Stop,” she whispered. She squeezed her thighs together in a desperate attempt to contain the pulses of fiery need inside her pussy.
“I want an answer, Avery,” he stopped long enough to say before he sucked her finger into his mouth again, watching her with hawk-like intensity.
“I . . . last night . . . I warned you that I couldn’t spent the night. I had to leave,” she responded, finally gathering her senses to remove her fingers from his grasp.
“That’s not what I asked. You ran away, Avery. Without even a by your leave, motherfucker.”
“You don’t have to use such language,” she mumbled, wringing her hands while her mind floundered to find a viable excuse for her behavior.
“Don’t I?” He looked at her searchingly. “I scare you, is that it, Avery?”
Her eyes flared before she lowered her gaze to his chest. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Oh, no, you don’t.” He pinched her chin between his fingers and tilted her chin back. “You’re not going to hide those eyes from me.”
“Look, Stone, we’re both consenting adults. We had a night of passion and lust. It happens all the time. People do it every day and—”
“Yet, you chose me. Again, on the same night two years in a row.”
And there it was, the gauntlet has been laid. Avery fought to get more oxygen into her lungs.
“What are you talking about?” She whispered, trying her best to keep her stare linked to his unwavering one. She didn’t miss the seriousness displayed in those deep blue eyes of his.
“Don’t, Avery,” he verbalized the threat. If there’s one thing I’m not, it’s an idiot.”
“Technically, I didn’t choose you last night. You were—”
The narrowing in his brooding eyes and his jaw turning rigid, cautioned her he was reaching the end of his patience. She peered gingerly at him from between her lashes.
Stone forced his anger down as he stared at the only woman who had ever managed to break through the wall of indifference he had erected around his heart. He didn’t understand it. Why her? She was beautiful granted, sexy as hell, and with a sensuality that floored him but it was more than that.
He wanted to be the one to trigger the expressions of life in her eyes; anger, elation, wonder, pleasure, and most of all, love.
Fuck! Back up, Stone. How did you go from having an amazing fuck to love?
His frown turned his face into a mask of anger and deliberation. It was a stupid question. Especially in light of his reaction both times he had woken up to find her gone from his bed.
“How did you know?” Avery turned away to squeeze the balance of the icing out, wrapped it in plastic and placed it in the fridge. Even if she didn’t use it again, it was Jesse’s indulgence. He always stole the leftover icing from her fridge.
“I didn’t at first, although there was a sense of familiarity to you when I kissed you and fucked you outside.” His voice vibrated with the remembered wild passion they had shared
in the cold night.
Avery could feel the blush heating up her cheeks but couldn’t break his stare.
“But, it finally fell into place when I looked into your face. That salacious desperation edged in every line of your expression, the fevered pleading for release in your eyes, your gloriously silky hair spread over my pillow; I had only seen it once before. At the fundraising masquerade on Christmas Eve last year, and the hot little elf with the black silk mask who seduced me and fucked my brains out until sunrise on Christmas day.” He smirked at the expression on her face. “Oh yes, Avery, I remember every touch, every enticing smile, and every suck and lick from your hot mouth.”
“I . . . you . . .” she stammered, looking around wildly as he crowded her against the wall.
His hard body pushed against her softness, as unyielding as the wall behind her back. He wrapped his hand around her throat and forced her head back.
“But, this time, I know who you are and where to find you. And, this time, Avery Blaine, I’m not allowing you to walk away from me. I have so much more I need to explore with your sexy body, your wild and sensuous nature, and your sharp mind.”
His head lowered, catching her puffed breaths in his mouth. His voice deepened as he said against her lips, “And I want it all. I’m going to twist and turn you into a limp noodle, only to tie you into a knot and fuck you until you’re boneless, helpless and without the energy to breathe, let alone move. And then . . . do you know what then, Avery?”
“N-no,” she whimpered, desperate to feel his tempting lips take possession of hers.
“Then I’m going to start again. When I’m done with you, you’ll have no more to give and yet, you’ll beg me for more. And, do you know what else, Avery?”
“I—”
“I’ll give you what you ask for. Over and over and then start again. And do you know why, Avery?”