Blackout: A Romance Anthology

by Stephanie St. Klaire

  I gave into the power of his lure and wrapped my arms around his neck. His hands slid down my back to cup my ass until I realized what he wanted. I hopped and wound my legs around his waist. It was sexy as hell he could carry me without any struggle.

  With my eyes closed, I felt us going upstairs and opened them when he came to a complete stop. Immediately, I saw the problem. There were rose petals everywhere but especially the bed. I released my hold and slid down his body until my feet touched the floor.

  “Wow,” I said, trying not to laugh.

  He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Some surprise.”

  There was an open bottle of champagne on one of the night tables. There was no way in hell I was drinking that. Who knew if she’d spiked it? After talking to her, I couldn’t be sure.

  “I can help you clean it up,” I offered, taking a step toward the bed.

  He snagged my hand. “No.” Then he picked me up and I had a feeling what he was planning.

  I squirmed against his hold and giggled as he only held on tighter.

  “What do you think would be the biggest fuck you to Chelsea?”

  I laughed as he tossed me onto the bed, stalking toward the place I landed.

  The four-poster was massive and I started to think about him screwing her in this very bed until he covered me. His weight along with his kiss stole my breath and I forgot about Chelsea. Whatever he’d done with her hadn’t been recent. The room, outside of the explosion of flowers, appeared like it was cleaned on a regular basis. He had the right idea about the fuck you to her.

  He swept my shirt off like a man determined to get to my breasts. But it wasn’t my bra he went for. My jeans were next, which required him to move off the bed to get them down my legs. He’d taken my panties with them, so I lay bare when he wedged himself between my thighs. He mapped a path from my inner thigh to my clit, but only blew a stream of warm air over the sensitive nub.

  “Damn you,” I cried out.

  That elicited a chuckle. “Patience, my Jilly.”

  Patience? Now he was the mad one. It had been far too long since I’d had sex to have any type of control. Need was crawling under the surface of my skin with an urgency that had me reaching for his head. He was quicker, grabbing both wrists and holding them just above my head.

  “Good things come to those who wait,” he teased.

  “Yeah, if you wait any longer, I’m going to hate you,” I protested.

  His dark chuckle fanned over my sensitive nub and I arched my back in response. I needed more and he granted me a flick of his tongue.

  “If you don’t stay still, I’m going to take a cold shower,” he said, lazy eyes in contrast with the smirk on his face.

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “Try me,” he said, and didn’t move as I ached with want.

  “Fuck you,” I spat, trying to play at being unaffected.

  “I’m trying to, sweetheart, if you’d let me.”

  “You just have to have your way.”

  His eyes held mine, all amusement gone. “You made me wait. Now it’s your turn.”

  I let my head fall back. He had me there. When I finally relaxed, he went back to turning me inside out with licks, nips, and flicks of his tongue. Not to mention the two or maybe three fingers he had buried inside me readying me for his fat cock.

  I bit my lip and tried to stay calm, but it felt too damn good. I let out several mulling sounds of pleasure as he pumped those curled fingers inside me to stroke over that magic button on the inside.

  “Please,” I finally said, unable to stop my hips from leaving the bed as I arched my back.

  “All you had to do was ask,” he said, with a promise that hinted for a thorough fucking to come.

  He used his knee to wedge open my legs. Without preamble, as he’d certainly done all the work to make me wetter than sin to be ready for him, he sank into me. Relief, as all my cylinders were firing in promise for the best damn orgasm of my life to come.

  Corded muscles in his neck and arms bulged as he held himself deep inside me for a second longer than I thought possible for either of us. Remembering his words, I gave him my own.

  “Fuck me.”

  It turned out to be the permission he’d been waiting for. He released my wrists, sat up, caught my legs under the knees, and angled me so he could hit bottom as he powered. This thrust made me moan and beg. More, harder, faster, yes, was my mantra until I screamed his name. He came hard soon after.

  We lay in a tangle of limps, him half on top of me. It was as if he wanted to make sure I couldn’t get away.

  “I think I have petals in my ass,” I said when I could speak.

  He laughed. “They are in your hair,” he said.

  I caught a handful and tossed them at him. He rolled away, finally freeing me. When I sat up, I knew before he pointed, my sweat cooling back was covered in petals.

  “Not funny,” I said on a laugh. “Your crazy ex-wife did this.”

  He sobered some. “Not ex-wife. According to the State of Nevada, we were never married.”

  That only reminded me of our situation.

  “What did you mean by court order?” I asked.

  He hissed out a breath. “She’s been more than a little nutty. I got a restraining order.”

  “She broke it,” I said, drawing my knees to my chest and curling my arms around them.

  “That she did. And if you weren’t here, I might have called the cops. But it was worth it not to.”

  His gaze swept over me.

  “You wanted to talk to me,” he prompted.

  There was something I needed to know first.

  “I’m in love with you,” I admitted. “I probably always have been and always will be.”

  I finally told him what I’d told my sister weeks ago.

  He wasn’t exactly shocked. He just looked thoughtful. His silence prompted me to continue.

  “I know I probably don’t have a right to ask because we’ve never even been on a date. But I need to know one way or the other how you feel about me.”

  He reached into the side table drawer nearest to him before he moved to sit beside me. He unclasped my hands from around my knees. Then he kissed my knuckles one at a time as he spoke.

  “Date.” He chuckled. “Maybe not formally, but there have been plenty of times the two of us have been out together alone. Like I’ve taken you to half a dozen movies at least when your mom or sister couldn’t take you.”

  That was true. Despite my attempts at being hateful, he would volunteer to take me to the Marvel movies Mom and Chris had no interest in seeing.

  “And I’ve taken you out to eat more times than I could count. Hell, I would hold your hand and tell you it was to get you across the street just so I could. But no, I never asked you on a date, though we’ve been on plenty.”

  How had I forgotten? Then again, my feelings for him were based on all his actions over the years.

  “That was kid stuff,” I countered.

  “To you. But to me, every time, I fell a little more in love with you.” My heart melted in my chest. “Jillian, since you’ve shut me out, I’ve had nothing but time to examine why I’ve never really had a serious girlfriend.”

  “Chelsea?” I tossed out there.

  He shook his head. “That was duty. First, I thought she was pregnant and then because I thought it would be wrong to end our engagement when she lost the baby.”

  “Do you think she was ever pregnant?” I blurted.

  His shoulders fell. “I don’t know. I’d used a condom every time. Plus, with everything her girlfriend has gone on record saying, I don’t know. But I’d been willing to make a go of it until I stood at the wedding. I knew then the wrong woman stood before me.”

  Though he didn’t say it, Eddie was a stand-up guy. He wouldn’t have been a runaway groom.

  “You don’t know what a relief it was when I found out she was scheming,” he said.

  “You had an out.
”

  He nodded. “I hate to think that way. I would have been faithful to her, but things worked out the way they did for a reason.”

  Our hands were clasp while lying on the bed between us and I gave his a gentle squeeze.

  “It took all the love I had for you to walk away the first time. I wanted you to have no regrets when I finally married you. But you’ve had your time. That old guy has to go.”

  I laughed. “He isn’t old.” He gave me a mocking glare. “He’s a silver fox and out of the picture.”

  That had been one of the first things I’d done when I returned, not that we’d been in a committed relationship. But he was a good guy too. He’d guessed that Eddie was the guy I told him I was in love with as my reason for breaking things off.

  “Good, because you’re mine. I’m never letting you go.”

  “Yours?”

  “Mine.”

  He picked up something from his side and revealed the gold bands we’d been married with that first time. I was surprised he’d kept them. Then he kissed me in that possessive way he did the first time and I knew my heart was forever safe in his hands before producing the box with the sparkling ring.

  I didn’t take them from him, not yet at least.

  “There’s something I need to tell you.” He held my gaze, waiting for me to continue. “I asked about your feelings because I didn’t want you to feel obligated in any way for what I’m about to say.”

  Eddie, being the smart guy he was, figured it out. “You’re pregnant.”

  I bobbed my head in tiny movements, but he got the gist.

  “And it’s yours. I swear.”

  He looked at me like I just offered him crack. It wasn’t like he didn’t realize we hadn’t used protection. A thought that hadn’t crossed either of our minds in the frenzy we’d been in when we were together.

  “I love you, Jilly, and more importantly, I trust you. That was never a thought.” His hand found my heart. “You are mine.” His hand went lower to spread over my currently flat belly. “This baby is absolutely mine.”

  I could have cried, but he kissed my tears away. We fell onto the pile of petals and he showed me just how much he loved me and the bean a million times over. Love him, I did absolutely. He was mine and I was his and there was no doubt in my mind that he was my forever.

  EPILOGUE

  We stood on the Champ de Mars, the beautiful gardens behind the Eiffel Tower which stood in the backdrop as we neared the end of our destination wedding ceremony.

  How quickly my life had changed after sharing my secret.

  Eddie was insistent we get married right away. He wanted our child born with me carrying his name and not weeks before our son or daughter was born.

  With a potential media circus, I’d suggested a destination far away from people who cared who we were. Paris, being at the top of my bucket list, was my first suggestion. Eddie agreed. The NFL was not the prominent sport here and his brother could come without being mobbed by fans.

  “Do you take this woman to be your wife?”

  “Absolutely,” Eddie said.

  The small crowd laughed. Initially, our guests had included just his parents, my mom, and our siblings, but had grown into something more to include Eddie’s college buddies and some of my best friends as well.

  “Traditionally, we say I do,” the officiator said.

  Eddie grinned at me.

  “I do take this woman, the only woman I have and will ever love, as my wife.”

  The man gave him an indulgent smile. “That will work.”

  “And you, Jillian, do you take this man to be your husband?”

  Why break the new tradition? I thought as I said, “Forever and always.”

  Our friends and family chuckled. Before I could be admonished, I added, “I do take this man, the only man I’ve ever loved or will love, as my husband.”

  With our vows unconventional but true from the heart, we were pronounced man and wife.

  Eddie swept me up and kissed me in a way that had color filling my cheeks. It didn’t matter. I was married to the man I loved.

  The weather wasn’t exactly balmy considering the time of year. We made a dash for the car service we had waiting and headed back to the pricy hotel where a small reception was waiting.

  “Do we have to register our marriage anywhere once we are back in the States?” I asked.

  I hadn’t really thought about that.

  “No. Our wedding certificate is enough for you to get your name changed.”

  I forced myself to keep a straight face as I asked, “Who said anything about changing my name?”

  Eddie lunged and I was pinned to the back seat. “You, woman, will be Mrs. McCabe, the first and only.”

  Chelsea hadn’t had time to legally change hers before he forced her to sign the annulment papers with all his recorded proof of her deception.

  I grinned at him. “Settle down, husband. I rather fancy the idea of being called Mrs. McCabe. Do you think that will be a problem at work?”

  His jaw opened. I had been filling in as his assistant, but I liked the idea of being home with our child. It may not have been what I’d gone to school for, but having the opportunity, I was taking it.

  “You know I love you as my assistant,” he began.

  “Stop while you’re ahead,” I teased. “I’ve already found someone for you.”

  She was a seasoned assistant with thirty years of job experience under her belt. The perfect person to handle my husband.

  He kissed me and cupped my breast. I lightly slapped his hand away as to not draw attention from our driver.

  “Come on, baby,” he said. The baby thing was new and frankly turned me the fuck on. “Let me touch you.”

  ***

  Jillian had to be the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on. Otherwise, I couldn’t explain why I couldn’t keep my hands off her.

  That was the real reason I didn’t want her to continue as my assistant. The number of times I fucked her on my desk was seriously affecting the number of billable hours. It was more important than ever that I built a future for our family. I planned to keep her pregnant, though she didn’t know it yet. A tiny basketball team sounded about right or maybe an offensive line.

  Her tits, which were already fantastic, were getting bigger. It was something I thanked the Almighty for every day. Really, I thanked Him for her. She was everything a man could want and the only woman I would ever need.

  I wanted her happy, which is why I was meeting with my buddy later. I had a proposition to make to him about Jillian’s future. Though I wanted her to be home with our kids, that didn’t mean she couldn’t work from home too if she wanted.

  We arrived at the hotel after everyone else. I’d paid our driver to take his time, having hoped to get Jilly semi naked. She wasn’t having it. I was forced to rub her thigh, cursing the yards of fabric in my way.

  I got out first after instructing my bride to wait. I opened the door and swept her into my arms to the delight of onlookers.

  Multiple languages I didn’t understand were spoken. However, it was the soft sighs from the women around us that said I was winning major points with my wife.

  I carried her all the way into the ballroom where our friends and family waited. I didn’t put her down either. I walked all the way to the middle of the dance floor. We had to keep this moving. I had plans to fuck Jilly on every square inch of our suite if it took me all night.

  When I set her down, I nodded at the band. Per my request, they played a cover of Bazzi’s “Mine”. Some of the words were changed so our parents wouldn’t be scandalized, as my lovely wife would’ve likely said if they’d played the original. I mouthed the agreed upon lyrics, promising all kinds of sinful things later.

  Once that was out the way and I’d marked her as mine in my way, the cover of Adele’s “Love Song” was next, which was the choice Jilly and I’d agreed upon. Though with tears in her eyes, “Mine” hadn’t been
a bad surprise.

  Our family joined us and I felt like the luckiest bastard out there.

  When Cam cut in, I grudgingly let my brother steal my wife for a second. And only because I trusted him with her. Besides, he was madly in love with his wife and would never do anything I’d have killed him for.

  I found my friend staring at the dance floor like he wanted to kill someone.

  “Damn, brother,” I said. Wolf was my best friend. I could count on him like I could count on Cam. “Who do you want to kill and where should we hide the body?”

  His eyes found mine. “It’s nothing.”

  I’d caught sight of who he’d been looking at. I hadn’t met her, though I’d heard her name over the years.

  “Is that Beth?” I asked.

  His snarled yes was almost indiscernible. I watched as his younger brother danced with Beth the way I’d held Jilly in my arms.

  “Are they together?”

  His head snapped in my direction. “Hell no. They’re just friends.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  She looked happy with him.

  “Yes.”

  I lifted my hands, knowing Wolf would talk about it only when he was ready.

  “Look, I thought about your offer.”

  When I’d invited him, he told me he was making a run for public office, though he had grander plans for the future. He wanted me to join his campaign.

  “Yeah, what’s your answer?”

  “I can’t. Not now anyway.” My business was still recovering from all the press I’d gotten. The last thing Wolf needed was for me to be involved. Besides, he lived in Washington, DC. Jilly wouldn’t want to leave her mother and sister. “But maybe Jilly can help you with your marketing campaign.”

  That was something she could do from afar.

  My bride showed up then. Since Wolf had arrived late the night before, I hadn’t formally introduced them.

  “Jillian, you remember Wolf. He was the guy who came to the door the first night we were married.”

  She held out a hand and Wolf’s sly gaze perused her. If I didn’t know him as well as I did, I would have taken that as a move. But his eyes only stayed on her long enough to greet her with a hug.

  “You can always change your mind,” he teased.