by Nicole Casey
“You know, maybe we should go get her and tell her to come with us,” she proposed, less slyly than she might have hoped.
“Not today, kiddo. Remember, Emma had to go back to her house. It’s time for just you and me today,” I said, imbuing so much enthusiasm in my voice I was surprised it didn’t crack like a teenage boy’s.
“OK, I guess,” she replied and took my hand when I offered it to her.
I buckled her into her seat just five minutes later and we were driving out of the city in no time. Of course, if I’d known Abby was going to spend the entire day talking about Emma, I might have brought along a pair of earplugs.
By the time I tucked her into bed the following night, I was seriously worried that Abby had fallen nearly as hard for Emma as I had. I wandered around the house aimlessly, but there was nowhere I could go to escape the memory of her. I’d had her naked and writhing in pleasure in just about every room in the house. Everywhere I turned, my mind conjured up memories. I saw her naked on the living room floor, spreading her legs invitingly. I pictured her bent over the table, her body pushing back against me to draw me to the hilt with every thrust. I remembered her straddling my hips out in the yard, the moonlight highlighting every sexy curve of her body.
And then my mind got crueler; I saw her at the kitchen table, laughing at Abby’s antics; and underneath the slide at the park, comforting my daughter like Abby was her own. And I saw her from Abby’s bedroom door at night when they thought I hadn’t arrived home yet, Emma tucking the covers up beneath Abby’s chin while she sang my daughter a lullaby and stroked her little, blond head.
Damn it! Could it really have all been a show? A niggle of doubt grew bigger, overshadowing the anger I’d felt and the fear that had sent me searching for a way out. Yes…fear. It was embarrassing to admit even to myself, but there it was. I’d never intended to feel what I felt for Emma. After watching both of my own parents spend most of their adult lives going from one relationship to the next, I’d never wanted it. Hell, I think my father had just settled into his fifth marriage, and my mother, just two years ago, her fourth after a bitter divorce from her third.
And yet despite my certainty that I’d never followed in their footsteps, Emma had become…everything I wanted.
But was it possible that she really had no idea about her brother, that her winding up in my home had been a complete coincidence? It was a long shot, but suddenly I couldn’t help but grasp onto it. Unfortunately, if she really hadn’t known about what was going on between my company and Michael’s, then I had a feeling I’d done irreparable damage. If I was being rational, I’d say that was for the best. Even if she hadn’t been in cohorts with her brother, the difficulty both Abby and I had had in parting from her was just proof it had been the right call to send her away regardless. But since I wasn’t the least bit concerned with rational at the moment, I couldn’t help but chastise myself for the fool I’d been.
I walked into her bedroom two days later. I hadn’t set foot in the room since I’d sent her away, and everything was exactly how she’d left it. I had no idea what I was doing there. It wasn’t like I was delusional enough to think she’d miraculously appear there out of thin air. Nevertheless, I wandered about aimlessly. Everything was neat and tidy except for the dress crumpled on the chair by the window. It was a dress I’d torn off her, unable to wait a moment longer to have her naked. Trying to ignore the rush of arousal, I stepped onto the cool marble of the bathroom floor. But when I glanced around, I couldn’t help but remember that first night I’d stood outside her door, imagining her in here.
I spied something on the floor by the sink. It caught my attention because it was the only thing out of place in the whole room—she’d really been a tidy houseguest, I thought, smiling to myself. Bending down, I reached out for whatever it was and then I froze.
I knew what it was. God damn it, I knew exactly what it was, and she hadn’t said a fucking word.
I stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind me before I remembered that Abby was fast asleep down the hall.
Abby…I remembered telling Emma how hard it had been to learn I’d had a daughter for four years and never knew about her. She’d looked at me with what I’d thought was genuine sympathy in her beautiful eyes. But how genuine could it possibly have been?
I wasn’t going to wait to find out.
I strode down the hall, down the stairs, and out the front door. Fortunately, I was able to get myself under control enough to arm the security system and grab the portable unit from the foyer. While I would never make a habit of leaving Abby in the house alone, she was fast asleep and the whole house was under surveillance. If she woke up, the intercom would connect her right to me, and was only a few yards away.
The responsible father satisfied, I stormed across the yard and pounded on her front door. But my breath caught in my throat when she opened the door. I hadn’t seen her in days, and despite the anger coursing through my veins, I couldn’t help it. My gaze roamed over her scantily clad body and the desire that shot through my body was almost enough to overwhelm everything else I was feeling. Almost.
Fortunately, I didn’t have to say a word—which was a good thing since the blood supply to my brain was migrating elsewhere. I shoved the test I’d found into her hands, expecting her to gasp in surprise.
But she didn’t gasp, and she didn’t look the least bit surprised. She looked…sad. Was she sad that she was pregnant? Sad that I had found out? Come to think of it, she wore the same expression now as when she’d opened the door. Still, sad or not, how could she have kept this from me after she’d seen firsthand how difficult it had been on Abby and I?
“How could you not tell me?” I asked, gritting my jaw against the wave of emotions that let loose—anger, sadness, betrayal…and underneath it all grief because I had fallen hopelessly in love with this woman and it was obvious by her omission that she wanted nothing to do with me.
“You threw me out of your house for no reason, at least none that I can fathom, and you come demanding to know how I could keep something from you?”
“Damn it, Emma, maybe I was wrong, but you know what I’ve been through with Abby…”
“I was going to tell you,” she whispered, cutting me off.
Was I supposed to believe her? Part of me wanted to—desperately. Still, I cocked an eyebrow in disbelief.
She walked away then, and I thought she was putting an end to the conversation, but she returned a moment later.
“I was going to tell you as soon as these were finished,” she laid a thin stack of papers in my hands, but I stared at them half-blindly until the title on the first page caught my attention. They were legal documents, and with a quick glance, I realized they were legal documents detailing future custody agreements.
“I couldn’t keep it from you, but after what happened I figured you didn’t want…you’d prefer not…I came to the conclusion you didn’t want me in your life. But you were right about Michelle. You had a right to know about Abby. But I also wanted you to know you didn’t have to do this; you weren’t obligated in any way.”
And she was telling the truth; the documents essentially set forth that I could choose to be as much or as little a part in our child’s life, and that no financial obligations would be placed on me for the care of the child.
She really had intended to tell me about the baby, and more than that, she’d gone to great lengths to make sure this baby wouldn’t be a stranger to me like Abby had been. And after the way I’d acted, how difficult had it been on her to face the prospect of sharing custody, being forced to interact with me on a regular basis?
And that’s when it hit me—I was an ass. How else could one describe a man who’d gotten angry not once, not twice, but three times, and each time it had been uncalled for? I let out a heavy sigh, preparing to admit the truth. “I’ve been a total ass.”
“Yes.”
“You’re not going to let me off the hook easy, are yo
u?”
“No.”
For a woman who could converse easily with just about anyone, she sure did seem to be keeping the conversation to a minimum. Maybe I really had blown it. And the worst part was I couldn’t blame her. I’d made mistake after mistake, generally resulting in her being unfairly accused of shit she didn’t do. What kind of woman would want to put up with that on a regular basis?
“I’m not good at this, Emma, not even a little. I’ve been terrified of winding up just like my folks—divorced so many times I think their lawyers keep an open spot in their calendars just for the next one. And honestly, no other woman has ever done a thing to change my mind. But you did…and it scared me. I was more than willing to jump to find the negative because I was terrified of what would happen if I couldn’t find it.”
She smiled. “I’m terrified, too,” she confessed, and I felt whatever it was that had been gripping my heart tight loosen its grasp just a little. “What do you say we try being terrified together?” she asked.
She was actually going to let me off the hook just like that? Damn, she was an amazing woman. And I wasn’t going to forget that ever again. “I want you to come home with me.”
“Home? You mean back to being your nanny?”
“No, Emma. I want to be a part of your life, and I want to be a part of this baby’s life,” I told her, touching her stomach gently. There was no difference; her stomach was still just as flat as it had been the first time I’d stripped her naked, and yet our child grew there now.
“Oh.”
“Just ‘oh’?”
“I mean, I want that too. It’s just…if you want me to come home with you so you can be a part of our baby’s life…well, you don’t have to do that. I would never keep her from you.”
“I know you wouldn’t. So, does that mean you’ve decided we’re having a girl?”
“Yes, actually. I thought Abby would like a little sister,” she smiled.
“I think Abby would love that. But I’m sure she’d be thrilled with a little brother, too.”
“Well, she’s just going to have to wait for the next baby to get one,” she said matter-of-factly. “But Ryan, are you sure about this? About us?”
“Emma, I am so sure about us that I want to do something I swore I’d never do.”
“And what’s that?”
“I want to get married. I want to marry you, Emma McKenna.”
Her lips parted in surprise, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at the adorably sexy, stunned look on her face. She seemed to recover quickly though.
“I want that, too.”
“So, you’ll come home with me?”
“Well, I don’t know,” she said, and I could tell by the look on her face she was teasing now. “It’s an awfully long way, and I only just got settled back in here.”
“Perhaps I might be able to come up with a way to make it worth your while.”
“Oh? What did you have in mind?”
I leaned in close, my lips just a hair’s breadth from her ear, “I was thinking that I’d take off all your clothes the second we get there, and I’d use my hands…my mouth…my tongue…my cock, to make you come over and over again. And then I’d do the same thing tomorrow night, and the night after that, and every night after.”
I could feel the heat as it suffused her cheeks, and I saw the sexy blush as she leaned back far enough to look at me. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Ryan Cade.”
Damn, what a woman!
- THE END -
The Billionaire’s Conquest
Mercury Billionaires Book 1
Book Description
I need to save Mercury Wild, but who would save my heart?
I'm Trevor Wild, Billionaire and Entrepreneur of Mercury Wild, a club that I inherited from my father.
Men admire me for the fortune that came with my name. Women flock to me for the man of their dreams, but along the way, I lose sight of who I am, and my business is at stake.
So desperate to save the club, I have to put pride behind me and seek out help, and help comes in the form of Jasmine Washington.
Her skin is smooth as silk. Her eyes are piercing green that would burn holes into my soul.
But it’s her steadfast attitude, her honest business sense, and her genuine heart, that pull me in.
Yet, it doesn’t hurt that she has a rockin’ body that makes me want to beg for her every chance I get, and learning that she’s a virgin only intensifies those desires.
Will I be able to have both my club and Jasmine, or will going after her cause everything to crumble around me?
1
Jasmine
The sound of Aerosmith played in the background as I walked into the club. I looked around to see if Sydney was there yet. We had been best friends since Elementary school. It was Mrs. Harper’s third-grade class when Sydney asked if she could sit next to me. I didn’t know anyone then; I was the new student in a big place and Sydney was there. She always remained there and we vowed to be best friends for life.
I waved to her from across the bar, then hurried over to her. We hugged and made small talk, how’ve you been, what’s new, how are you enjoying the humid weather, things like that, until others started to join us. I hadn’t seen Sydney in nearly three months.
She had taken a trip to New York to visit her grandmother, who didn’t have long to live. Unfortunately, her grandmother didn’t make it much past the timeline the doctor provided, and now Sydney was back home.
She immediately reached out to her friends and asked them to go out to the bar and that brought them there this night.
“You look good, Syd,” I said, taking a drink of the beer that the waitress had brought me.
She smiled. “Thank you! I’m doing well, actually.”
I was relieved to hear that. I didn’t know how she was handling the passing of her grandmother, but she did seem to be doing better than expected.
“Have your parents come back from New York, yet?” Tracey, another friend posed the question.
Sydney shook her head.
“When grandma passed, they decided to stay back there and help to facilitate the sale of her property. But I didn’t want to stay behind. I needed to get back into work and it just was easier to make the escape back to Montana. How are you guys doing?” she asked.
Everyone eagerly chatted away about what they’d been up to, but I stayed mostly quietly. I didn’t have much to add. How could you when your job consisted of filing papers and phone calls and your life in itself was mostly struggling with not fighting with your boyfriend? Things were tough and the last thing Sydney needed was my problems piled on top of everything she had going on.
The waitress came back to the table and I ordered another beer, while everyone went on about their glorious lives. I just listened intently, drank my beer, and tried not to be jealous…too much. Sydney kept saying things like, that’s amazing, good for you, I’m so proud of you, sounds great, and I just indulged in my self-pity.
Yeah, jealousy was certainly prevalent.
After everyone else had gone about getting another drink, Sydney spoke up. “So, I do have some news and thought now would be as good of a time as any to let you in on it.”
I sipped on my beer, then swallowed it down and tried to be enthusiastic to hear about what she needed to say.
“What is it, Syd?” I asked.
That was when I noticed it. I’m not sure if I was the only one, but my eyes were directed to her left hand. She was playing with a ring that was on her finger. I don’t know if she was playing with that throughout the course of the night, but it was clear that she was extremely nervous.
My mouth hung open as the realization hit me. I didn’t want to blurt it out, but I was anxious to hear her spread the news. She then held up her left hand and sighed. “I’m getting married!”
A round of squeals came around the table, as she showed off her engagement ring. I couldn’t believe the news. The last I’d known, she wasn
’t even dating anyone. “Who?” I suddenly asked.
She looked at me and there was a smile in her eyes. “You don’t know him. I met him in New York.” She paused, before continuing. “He’s a lawyer.”
I wondered if that meant she was leaving. She had made this big mention of getting back to her job and to her hometown, but if she was just going to turn around and leave again, I wondered what the point was. I was being a bit selfish, I’d admit that, but I didn’t want to see her go again. Luckily, I didn’t need to ask the question, because Mary had it on her mind.
“So, you’re moving to New York?” Mary asked.
Sydney looked at each of us, before shaking her head. “I’m not. Michael is getting a job in Maine. He stayed back home to finish up a couple different cases, but he’s moving here right before the wedding.” She glanced at me and it was like we had that inner connection where she would know exactly what I was thinking before I had a chance to say it. She smiled and nodded and I gave her a slight smile response back.
I wasn’t surprised to hear she was marrying a lawyer. After all, Sydney came from wealth and prestige, with her mother being a doctor and her father a chemist. It was like Sydney had gold in her blood. Great things came to her and I was always supportive of that, but it made sense that she would ultimately meet and marry a lawyer to continue her road to wealth.
We all congratulated her and I got up and walked around to where she was sitting. “Congratulations, Syd!” We hugged. “I’m so happy for you!”
When she pulled away, there were tears in her eyes. She had to wipe them away and I saw her hand shaking. “You’ll really like him,” she said.
I smiled. “All that matters is that you’re in love and if you are, then that’s good enough for me.” We hugged again and she nodded, I felt her shaking slightly. I knew that this was love for her, because Sydney wasn’t one to settle down easily. She’d never had a long-term boyfriend, let alone a man I could see that she would want to marry. I was truly happy for her and couldn’t wait to meet the man that stole my friend’s heart.