Here Comes the Sun

by Marie Force

“Nothing good ever lasts for me. Something always goes wrong.”

  “That’s not going to happen this time.”

  “How do you know?”

  “We both want this to work, so we’ll make it work.”

  “Is it really that simple?”

  “For me it is. I’ve never wanted anything more than I’ve wanted you as long as I’ve known you, and now that I have you…” He tipped her chin up to receive his kiss. “I’m never letting you go.”

  Her arms curled around his neck, and her mouth opened to his tongue. After that, there were no more words as Wade set out to show her how he felt about her. He eased her down onto the bed and took a second to look at her hair spread out on the quilt, her lips swollen from their kisses and her face flushed with desire. He would never get tired of looking at her.

  “What?” she asked, her brows knitting.

  “I like looking at you.”

  She smiled. “I like looking at you, too. I never pictured you with shorter hair, but I really like it.”

  “I got tired of my sisters making fun of my man bun. Figured I’d see how short felt for a while. I can grow it back if you prefer it long.”

  She combed her fingers through it. “I like it both ways.” Her touch sent a shiver of longing through him, which had never happened with any other woman. All she had to do was look at him, and he wanted her.

  “Every time we saw each other, I’d want to cry when I had to leave you.” He kissed her collarbone and shoulder, taking the strap holding up her gown with him as he made a path to her arm. “I wanted to pick you up and put you in my truck and take you home with me.”

  “You have no idea how much I wish you had done that.”

  He took her nipple into his mouth, making her gasp. “Me, too.”

  “When I came here, I didn’t know for sure that you’d still want me. That you’d still feel the way you did before.”

  “I felt all the things for you from the beginning, but I thought you were married. It killed me to think of you with some other guy, especially when I suspected he wasn’t nice to you.”

  “You were what I wanted then, and you’re what I want now.”

  He moved from one breast to the other, teasing her nipple with his lips and tongue. “We need a honeymoon.” He drew her nipple into his mouth and ran his tongue back and forth before releasing it. “I want to spend days doing nothing but this.”

  “Yes,” she said, sounding breathless as she fisted a handful of his hair. “I want that, too.”

  “I need a week, maybe two, to deal with work, and then we’ll go somewhere.” He worked a hand under her nightgown, pulling it up as he caressed the back of her smooth leg. God, she made him crazy. Everything about her did it for him—her sweetness, her strength, her soft skin, beautiful face and sexy smile. He loved her laugh and the way her eyes sparkled when she was excited about something. He liked talking to her, kissing her and—

  She raised her hips, seeking him, making him feverish with need for her.

  He forced himself to slow down, to savor when he wanted to devour. She was his wife now, his precious, beautiful wife, and she deserved only tenderness, especially after what she’d endured in the past. Moving his hand up, he discovered that she wore nothing under the gown and moaned when his fingers encountered proof of her arousal.

  “Mia, God… If you knew how much I want you…”

  “I want you just as much.”

  He pulled back from her, helped her out of the nightgown and, sliding his hands under her, cupped her ass and brought her to the edge of the mattress. Then he dropped to his knees next to the bed and buried his face in her sweetness.

  Mia, Mia, Mia… He’d dreamed about her, about being able to touch her this way. So many nights he’d woken from dreams about her, hard and throbbing for her, and now… Now, he could touch her and make love to her anytime he wanted. He wanted to show her in every way he could think of that she was his and he was hers.

  “Wade, no. Don’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t like it.”

  Wade wasn’t sure he believed her, but he would take that up with her some other time. For now, there were other things they could do that he hoped she would like. Freeing himself from the flannel pajama pants, he pressed his cock to her entrance. “Is this okay?”

  She nodded, her eyes big with wonder and desire and what might be love. God, he hoped so.

  Her legs curled around his hips and her arms came around his neck, anchoring him to her as he made love to her.

  Nothing in his life had ever been better than being with her this way. He could die right now, and he’d go happy because of her.

  Mia’s hands moved in caressing circles on his back, moving down until she grasped his ass to hold him inside her while she came.

  The tight squeeze of her muscles caressing his cock shredded his control, and he came hard, the pleasure so intense, he saw stars. After only a few days, he was so addicted to her, he couldn’t conceive of a day without her in his arms, his bed, his life.

  “It’s too soon and everything is so new,” he said, “but I can already tell you that this, you… You’re the best thing to ever happen to me.”

  “Me, too. The very best thing ever.”

  Chapter 16

  “Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”

  —Nathaniel Hawthorne

  Wade’s alarm went off at the usual early hour the next morning, and he reached over to shut it off before it woke Mia. He had to go to work today. No way around it. The rep from the intimate line company was coming in to start their training, and he had to be there for it as much as he did not want to be—for more than one reason.

  His body ached from making love with Mia for half the night, and exhaustion tugged at him. Normally, he got up to meditate and practice yoga, but today he reset the alarm for another half hour and snuggled up to his wife.

  His wife. Day three, and the words still brought a smile to his face. Mia was his wife. And he could hold her and touch her and sleep naked with her after making love to her.

  With her back tucked up to his front, he ran his hand over her arm and cupped her breast, dragging his thumb over her nipple.

  She moaned and wiggled, her ass pressing against his cock.

  Her hand covered his on her breast, and her legs moved restlessly.

  How was it possible that he wanted her again after having her three times during the night? “Easy, honey. I’ve got you.”

  She strained against him. “Wade…”

  “Like this.” He eased her onto her belly. “Is this okay?” he asked, cognizant of the abuse she’d suffered at Brody’s hands. He never wanted to do anything that reminded her of him.

  “Yes,” she said, fisting a handful of sheet.

  He rose to his knees, shoved a pillow under her hips and spread her legs farther apart. “I wish you could see what I see,” he said, squeezing her supple ass cheeks.

  “What do you see? Tell me.”

  “I see my beautiful wife, her sweet ass and her long, gorgeous legs. I see her desire for me…” He slid his fingers into her, curling them to press against the spot that made her gasp. “I see everything I’ve ever wanted right here in my bed.” Taking his cock in hand, he withdrew his fingers and pushed into her. “Are you sore, honey?”

  “A little, but don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”

  Her words were like gas on the fire that burned so brightly inside him. Making love to her beat the hell out of his regular morning routine. In fact, if he could start every day just like this, that’d be fine with him. Work was the furthest thing from his mind as he pushed into her and then withdrew almost completely, before going deep again.

  She met every deep stroke with the push of her ass against his belly.

  He grasped her hips and kept up the slow pace for a long time, so long he lost track of ti
me and place and anything that wasn’t her, spread out before him, the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. Reaching under her, he pressed his fingers to her clit. He’d barely touched her when she exploded, her body going rigid beneath him and shattering his control.

  Wade came down on top of her, his body molded to hers as they tried to catch their breath. He kissed her shoulder. “Morning.”

  Releasing a huff of laughter, she said, “Morning.”

  “Best start to a day ever.”

  “Mmm, definitely.”

  “I hate that I have to go to work.” More than anything, he hated that he had to leave her home alone.

  “It’s okay. I have a lot of unpacking left to do.”

  “We’re training on the new product line after lunch if you want to come in for that, as long as you’re coming to fill out paperwork anyway. You might find it… interesting.”

  “I’d love to. Are you sure it’s okay?”

  Wade tried to picture himself paying attention to a presentation about sex toys with her in the room. “I’m sure.” He’d been dreading this day for months, but if it meant he didn’t have to wait all day to see her, he could handle having her there. “My siblings are apt to be immature jackasses.”

  “I have no doubt it’ll be a highly entertaining afternoon.”

  Reluctantly, Wade withdrew from her. “I have to get going, but I really don’t want to.”

  She turned her head toward him and pushed the hair back from her face. “I wish you didn’t have to either.”

  “You’ll be careful here alone, right?”

  “I’ll be fine. No one knows where I am.”

  “Or so we think.”

  “One thing about Brody’s crew you need to know—they’re not the sharpest tools in the shed.”

  “Still… I’m not taking any chances with your safety. We need a dog. A big, snarly dog. I’ll check with Dude today about whether she’s got anything that fits the bill.”

  “I want a cute dog, not a snarly dog.”

  “I’ll get you a cute dog who’ll also rip out the throat of anyone who tries to harm you. How’s that?”

  “That’d work.”

  “Stop looking so sweet and sexy so I can leave you.”

  She made a scowl face that only made her more adorable to him. “Go away and leave me alone.”

  “Don’t wanna.” He ran a hand from her shoulder to her back and down to squeeze her ass. Then he dragged himself out of bed and into the shower, dreading the long day that stood between him and more time in bed with her.

  Wade was twenty minutes late to the Monday-morning staff meeting, and every eye in the room turned to him when he came in and took his usual seat, avoiding the curious stares of his siblings and father.

  “As I was saying,” Lincoln continued with a pointed look for Wade, “Amanda will be here at one for the meeting.”

  “You didn’t invite Landon and Lucas to the training, did you?” Will asked.

  “Hell no,” Lincoln said emphatically.

  “Oh, good,” Will said as the others laughed.

  The thought of those two buffoons involved in sex-toy training gave Wade angina.

  “Listen, folks, I know you all weren’t in favor of this new line, but I hope you’ll give Amanda a warm welcome and make her feel at home here.”

  “Of course we will, Dad,” Ella said. “Our issue is with you, not her.”

  Everyone laughed at that.

  “What she said,” Hunter replied dryly, using his thumb to point at Ella.

  “Fair enough,” Lincoln said with a good-natured smile. “Someday, you won’t have the old man to kick around anymore.”

  “We’ll still kick you around long after you’re gone,” Will said. “Don’t worry.”

  “On that note,” Lincoln said, “this meeting is adjourned.”

  “Thank God,” Wade muttered to snickers from Ella and Charley, both of whom followed him into his office.

  Charley shut the door behind them. “So, how’s it going?”

  “Fine.”

  “How’s Mia?” Ella asked.

  “Great. How’s Gavin?”

  “You know he’s fine because you saw him yesterday.”

  “And you know Mia is fine because you saw her yesterday.”

  “Come on, Wade,” Charley said. “Don’t be a pain in the ass. You know what we’re asking.”

  “I learned everything I know about being a pain in the ass from you.”

  Ella snorted while Charley glared at her.

  “What?” Ella said. “He does have a point.”

  “What I want to know,” Charley said, “is whether this is a real marriage or a sham to keep the ex away from her.”

  Wade stared at her, incredulous that she’d ask such a question. But Charley had never been one to pull punches. “Define real.” He thought about the passionate night they’d spent together. That was the most “real” thing he’d ever experienced, and he couldn’t wait for more of it.

  “Like do you, you know, sleep together and stuff?”

  “Charley!” Ella said. “I never agreed to ask him that kind of question when you dragged me in here.”

  “A. I didn’t drag you. B. You said you wanted the deets. We’re getting the deets.” She turned her attention to Wade. “Well?”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, Charlotte, but it’s a very real marriage in every sense of the word. How’s yours going?”

  She shifted from one foot to the other, seeming uncomfortable, which was the least of what she deserved. “We don’t need to get married. We’re perfectly happy the way we are.”

  “Excellent. Once you’re married, you can ask how my marriage is going. Until then, butt out.”

  “Mia seems really nice,” Ella said, striking a more conciliatory tone.

  “She is really nice.”

  “And you’re happy?” Ella asked.

  “As happy as I’ve ever been.” That much was the truth.

  “What happens later when the ex is no longer a threat?” Charley asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Will you guys stay together?”

  Ella scowled at her, but then she looked at Wade, wanting an answer to the question.

  “That’s the plan.” It was his plan anyway, and he could only hope it was hers, too. “We’re married. That means for better or worse, until death do us part.”

  Charley’s mouth twisted to the side, which meant she was trying not to say something she knew she shouldn’t say.

  Sighing, he gestured for her to go ahead, knowing he couldn’t stop her.

  “It’s just that I want to believe she’s with you for the right reasons,” Charley said tentatively. “However, I can’t help but wonder if her motives are pure.”

  He bit back the urge to snap at her, because he knew she was looking out for him. Sometimes he wished his family cared a little less than they did. “Her motives in coming to me included escaping a violent relationship with a man who made his living selling heroin. He was pressuring her into marrying him so she wouldn’t testify against him, because he knows she can bury him.”

  “And I get that,” Charley said. “I just hope that’s all it is.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Do you know for sure that she’s told you everything you needed to know before taking this gigantic leap with her?” Ella asked gently.

  Ella’s words struck at his deepest insecurities where Mia was concerned. That she hadn’t told him, before they were married, that she helped to build the case against Brody had rattled him. He’d never deny that. It had made him wonder the same thing Ella and Charley were asking—was there more? She’d assured him he knew everything, but how did he know that for sure?

  “I appreciate your concern,” he said. “I really do, but I know everything I need to know.”

  “Fair enough,” Ella said. “We’ll leave you alone, then.”

  “But I have other questions,” Charley
protested.

  “Too bad.” Ella pushed her through the door and rolled her eyes at Wade over her shoulder.

  Thank God for Ella, Wade thought, and not for the first time. The two of them had always been close and had often “run away” together when their big, boisterous family got to be too much for them. He recalled having similar concerns when she first got together with Gavin, who’d been a hot mess since his brother Caleb had been killed in Iraq.

  Wade hadn’t wanted his beloved sister taken down the rabbit hole Gavin had been in for years at that point, but Ella had her heart set on him, and the two of them seemed exceptionally happy together. And Gavin… He was a new man. The changes in him since he’d been with Ella were apparent to everyone who knew him. No one deserved to be happy more than Gavin, who had suffered so terribly over the loss of his brother.

  The questions from his sisters had left Wade feeling drained by worries he’d pushed deep into the back of his mind after Mia appeared on his doorstep, half frozen, badly beaten and in need of his help.

  He had a ton of work to do, new product proposals coming out his ears and the training to endure that afternoon. But he couldn’t focus on any of that when the concerns raised by his sisters refused to be ignored. He opened a browser window, set it to private and did a search for her.

  The first few results were for a Mia Simpson in Washington state. Then he clicked on a link to the restaurant in Rutland where she used to work. She was shown in a photo of the staff. Wade zeroed in closer on the picture. Mia wore a crisp white shirt and black apron as she smiled for the camera, but he thought he saw a bruise on her neck. He couldn’t be certain, because the photo was grainy, but it looked like a bruise to him.

  How, he wondered, had she explained the bruise to her coworkers? Had they suspected she was being abused? Had they tried to help her? He thought about the people who’d tried to help her and had borne the brunt of Brody’s retaliation. Had others been afraid to get involved, as people so often were, especially when the alleged abuser was someone well known in a community as Brody had been in Rutland?

  Wade devoured the reports of Brody’s arrest, the disbelief among family and friends who’d grown up with him, the certainty that there had to have been a mistake. “Brody would never do something like this,” one high school friend told the Burlington Free Press, which had front-page coverage of the drug bust that had brought down Brody’s organization. “He was a youth football coach. He’s the last person who’d ever sell drugs to kids.”