by Teddy Hester
She shakes her head, looking tired and lost and so beautiful. Turquoise eyes eating me up, sending riots of want shooting through every muscle. My fingers find their way to her hair, threading in tight, holding her in place for my mouth, now inches from hers. “I’ve been dreaming of this for a thousand miles, wildcat.”
Her hands grip my wrists, holding on, bracing herself as desire pulses between us. “Kiss me, Jack. A kiss for every one of those miles.”
A groan that’s been building since I first met this woman rolls from deep in my chest. “Even if it takes the rest of my life.”
My lips touch hers to seal the promise, and we’re fused, our heartbeats merged with each other’s. Surging with the timeless rhythm of the sea.
That’s all it takes—one soft kiss—to ignite all the passion between us. Clothes seem to disintegrate on touch. Bed gapes, begging to be filled. Fingertips uncover secrets, every sigh’s a precious gift.
I enter her, moaning her name. Her body absorbs my invasion again and again, each thrust cauterizing lust, transforming it, pleasure so intense our bodies cannot—will not—contain it. Until, as urgently as it began, my name on her lips, desire is slaked, oblivion welcomed.
In the morning, Earth fresh and new, colors stream through the wall of windows, calling us to greet the day.
Sitting on the corner of my bed, facing the misty water and sky, I pull Jilly backward onto my lap, onto my hardness, an arm banding the fulness of her breasts, my other hand caressing her where we’re joined. Quietly, gently, we worship each other.
And when I’m eventually privileged to hold her release in my hands, I know—beyond doubt—that we are one. In every way.
She rests against me, her back to my front, her hair cascading down my arm. Sheer contentment pulses inside me, somehow allowing room for something bigger, more important, stretching my chest. My nose finds its burrow in the side of her neck, and I breathe in her scent of flowers and sunshine and temptation while nuzzling behind her ear. “I love you, Jilly.”
Her arm reaches back to caress the back of my head. “You’re sure?”
I kiss her temple. “I’m sure.”
“’Cause you know, once I say it back to you, it’s for life. Done deal. No wiggling out of it later.”
If possible, I fall a little more. “It’s the other way around, love. You’re already inside me, lighting all my dark. Once you tell me you love me, I’m never letting you go.”
“Forever?”
“Even longer.”
A gull floats by, lazily banking outside the window, gliding on air, like my heart. The sky’s lightening up, bright yellow searing through the mist of dawn, promising a beautiful new day.
In the midst of that glory comes her whisper.
“I love you, Jack.”
EPILOGUE
Forever
“Yoo-hoo!”
“We’re in the kitchen, Mom,” Jack hollers back.
I stop chopping green apples and swipe my arm across my forehead. “Thank goodness your mom’s here. I have no idea what I’m doing.”
He laughs and steals a kiss. “Mmm, raspberry. Aren’t they supposed to go into the chutney before they go into your mouth?”
“Sometimes a raspberry goes rogue. Takes a detour.” I give him a hip bump for emphasis.
“Lucky I love raspberries.”
“Be careful or you’ll run yourself right out of luck.”
“Be careful or you’ll run us out of raspberries. This chutney is my favorite part of the Thanksgiving feast.”
“Poor turkey. Gives its life for you, and you don’t appreciate the sacrifice.”
“Dumb bird should have learned how to fly.”
I drop everything and throw my arms around him. “I love you, un-Boss Man.”
The arms circling my waist loosen. “No un-manning me today. When your dad gets here, I’m going to need every bit of manliness I can find.”
“You shoulda thought of that before you decided to mate with a wildcat.”
“She’s worth it.” Chocolate eyes shine with so much love, it’s hard for me to breathe.
This man has rapidly become the center of my entire world. Was it just a couple of months ago I fought for independence from the men in my life? It wasn’t until I became Mrs. Jack DePaul this past weekend that I found freedom.
Evelyn DePaul comes in, carrying a pie in each hand. Her husband, Adam, carries two more, Aunt Bink holding his elbow. All four pies slide onto Jack’s fifteen-foot island.
“I always have loved this kitchen,” Eve says, circumventing the island to kiss us. “Glad to see it’s finally going to get some proper use.”
Adam shakes his son’s hand and pecks my cheek. “How are the newlyweds faring with their first Thanksgiving?”
“A lot better now that reinforcements have arrived,” I say.
Jack laughs. “Come on, Dad, help me set up for football.”
I catch Jack’s eye before he leaves the kitchen with his father. “That sounds like a manly thing to do.”
He winces, and my fingers wave goodbye. Bink tee-hees.
“I can’t believe that’s my quiet, surly son,” Eve muses, eyes glistening as she watches him go off with his father. They join his brothers and mine in front of the monster television above the fireplace that’s crackling festively. “I’m so glad he found you, Jilly.”
Tears threaten to slide out of my eyes, and my heart swells with emotion for this new family I’ve joined. My arms wrap around her slim shoulders, and we pour our feelings into a long hug. “Thanks for raising such a super son.” I realize when I say the words out loud, how true they are. He’s super. I can’t image any man more perfect for me.
“Okay,” Eve says, breaking away, her voice gruff with unshed tears, “the men are off doing their thing, and we can have some girl talk. Do you know how long I’ve waited for my sons to bring me daughters?”
Jack’s platinum-haired mother is my feminine ideal. Looking elegant and refined on the outside, she’s pure fun on the inside. A lot like Aunt Bink.
“I understand, dear,” Bink says. “That’s why I moved into Nate’s house after my sister died. I couldn’t leave this poor girl all alone in that sea of testosterone.”
Eve laughs. “Exactly. It’s overpowering. This is such a treat. I finally have a beautiful daughter. So, tell me, Jillian, what do you want us to do while we talk?”
“Well, Mom, the only thing I know how to make is a terrific Long Island iced tea.”
“Then, you pour while I get my bearings. If we can’t figure it out, we’ll get the men soused and feed ‘em pie.”
I beam at her. “The perfect Thanksgiving.”
By the time all eleven of us sit on either side of the long dining table, a full feast spans the island’s granite top. Jack pops champagne, and the toasts begin. Since we’ve all had too many Long Island iced teas, the toasts are pretty flowery.
But none surpasses Jack’s to me.
“To my wife. She’s every breath I take, every scent I adore, every touch I crave, with enough snark in her to keep things spicy. I love you, Jilly DePaul.”
“Hear, hear,” echoes along the table.
When the cheers give way to sips, I stand, and with happy tears in my eyes, raise my glass to Jack.
“To my husband, the best aggravating, surly Boss Man a woman could ever want. Thank you for saving my life. In every way. I love you to pieces, Jack DePaul. Forever.”
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I have the best writer friends! Without them, I wouldn’t enjoy writing my books nearly as much. The Boss Man benefitted from assistance from the following:
Dana and Peyton for Beta reads and line edits, multiple times
TZ and Beck for motivation, support, and tireless cheerleading
Thank you, thank you, thank you! You guys are the best, and I owe you big time.
Other Books in The Manly Series
The Best Man
Man
in Charge
Man of My Dreams
COPYRIGHT
The Boss Man
The Manly Series, Book 4
© 2018 by Teddy Hester
All rights reserved. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. Names, characters, organizations, locations, and incidents portrayed in this ebook are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. This ebook may not be re-sold, copied, or given away to other people without the written consent of the author.
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