He wrapped her in a giant hug, tears streaming down the old man’s face. “There’s something I need to tell all of you, and you might not look at me the same when I’m done—”
“Let’s all go inside.” I placed a hand on Wally’s shoulder and guided him inside.
Once everyone was seated, Wally clasped his hands on his lap and repeated everything he had told me in the hospital. As he did, I kept a close eye on London, my strong, beautiful girl. I knew her heart was breaking, but she sat and listened.
“Fifteen years ago, Ryan came to me with what I considered proof that I was his father.” Paris and Holland didn’t say anything, but the look on London’s face looked as if someone had just told her dog died. “When your father died, something in Ryan changed, he became resentful of people who had parents that left them things. He and his mother lived paycheck to paycheck, barely making ends meet so she had nothing to leave him. And well, Ann and I had the girls, it isn’t exactly like I was stepping up to claim him. Anyway, one day Ryan came to me and said that he was in love with you. Truth be told, I didn’t think much of it. I told him to ask you out and see what you said.”
Wally looked pleadingly to London, clearly hoping she would understand, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes, and a part of me felt sorry for the old man.
“I think Ryan got desperate.” Wally continued. “Not too long ago, Ann visited here, and Ryan approached her for the first time and asked her if she ever wished she’d had a son. Then he started calling my house, stopping by my house, he had me on pins and needles and I saw my world crashing around me. I couldn’t lose Ann or our girls. We have the grand-babies, my daughters would take their mother’s side, and I’d never see any of them again.” Wally pulled on the front of his shirt as if trying to get some air.
“I don’t get it, Wally, what is it you are apologizing to us for? Sounds to me like you should be apologizing to Ann and your daughters.” London picked up her mug of coffee and stood, ready to walk off.
“I allowed him to blackmail me. Every time you threatened to fire him or the time you sent him home, he’d dangle his damn birth certificate over my head until I agreed to intervene on his behalf. Then when we went to meet with Mr. Brooks, he asked to speak to Mr. Brooks privately. At first I was against it, but I allowed him to manipulate me and convinced myself that it was okay. I mean, what did it matter? They were only talking about land.”
I looked at Holland, who looked angry, and Paris, who looked sad.
But London, she still appeared devastated. Trust meant everything to her, and he’d broken it. She still loved him, which was probably why she had fallen silent. She knew as well as I did that if she said something, she may regret it tomorrow.
“Wally,” I said, trying to sound as understanding and non-judgmental as I could, “why don’t you head home for a bit. I’ll call and let you know about Ryan once we hear something. Give London and her sisters a few days, okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” He dropped his shoulders, cast one last look to each of the girls, and then walked out.
18
London
Braden and I sat in the middle of my bed. I stared at him and realized that he was my home. This man, who I’d thought was just out to use women, had become my safe place, my protector.
“Are you okay?” He leaned forward and tucked that damn lock of hair that always seemed to be falling in my face behind my ear.
“Yeah, just a lot to take in all in one day. I truly never thought that Ryan could be capable of this kind of stuff.” Knowing that Ryan was safely behind bars was comforting but also knowing that he’d been the one to cause all the catastrophes was heartbreaking.
“Well when the investigators got to his house and found trace elements of oleander and the university lab confirmed that was what was used on the horses, he confessed to everything. I think that he was hoping for a lighter sentence but the truth was, the guy’s house looked like he hadn’t done laundry in a year. Forensics scanned enough pieces to find all the evidence they needed to for a slamdunk case. Not to mention the shirt that had holes in it from having lighter fluid spilled on it and then not washed especially since it was finally ruled as the accelerant that started your pasture fire.”
“Am I a terribly bad person if I don’t want to talk about this anymore?”
“No, I wouldn’t blame you one bit. You’ve been through enough. So what would you like to talk about instead?” Braden bounced on the bed and wiggled his eyebrows.
I stood and moved away from him. “Will you stay the night?” My words were softer than normal, but truthfully, I didn’t want him to say no.
“There’s no place I’d rather be.”
Turning the lock on my bedroom door before returning to where Braden still sat. I took several slow deep breaths as I neared him, he stood, forcing me to stretch up onto my tippy toes. Wrapping one hand into the folds of his shirt, I pulled him close to me. “Kiss me.”
“London, you should rest. Today has been exhausting, you’ve spent hours at the sheriff’s station going over all the reports.”
“I don’t want to rest.”
He drew in a deep breath and moaned, “Will you respect me in the morning?” He laughed.
“Hell yes, I will!”
The cool wood against my back was strangely soothing. Maybe it was because I was burning up for this man. He had me all kinds of hot and bothered. With one of his strong hands on my chest, he held me firmly in place. Slipping my arms around his neck, I gently dragged my nails over the nape of his neck. He closed his eyes and let out a small groan of pleasure, as though this was all he’d ever wanted. “Let me see what I can do to make you groan even louder.” Planting slow kisses on his lips, I worked my way down his body before falling to my knees in front of him. Parting my lips and shooting a look up at him, I fumbled with the buckle of his pants before pulling them down his legs. I ran my hands over the bulge in his underwear, tracing my nails over his swiftly growing erection. He reached down to push my hair back from my face so he could look me in the eyes. Licking my lips playfully, I exaggerated each motion as I trailed the tip of my tongue over my bottom lip. Slipping my fingers under the waistband of his boxers, I let them fall to the ground, freeing his impressive length, and then immediately wrapping my hands around him and stroking him a few times.
“Fuck, London,” he groaned, and I loved the way my name sounded coming out of his mouth. I wanted him as badly as I did that first time we’d been together. I closed my eyes, parted my lips, and leaned forward, flicking my tongue over his tip before I moved to take as much of him into my mouth as I could. He tasted salty as I coaxed him deep into me and ran my tongue over the underside of his cock. When I began to work up and down, enveloping him in the warmth of my mouth, he started to move with my motions. I had no intention of making him finish—no, I was going to get mine too—but I loved how powerful I felt, pleasuring him like this and having him completely at my mercy.
His hands cupped the back of my head, and he began to thrust in slow, shallow movements, and still letting me set the pace. His body tensed with desire as I went down on him. Before I knew it, I was completely lost to how good it felt, and I slipped my fingers to my jeans and unbuttoned them so I could slide my hand down the front and into my panties. I wanted to be on the same cliff that he was dangling on.
“Jesus,” he tipped his head back and growled the word, letting me know that he wasn’t going to be able to hang on much longer. But I didn’t want this to end. I wanted to tease and torment a little longer, to push him further.
“Mmm.” I pulled back for a moment, catching my breath and stroking him a couple of times, tilting my head back so I could look him in the eyes. There was something about the way he watched me when I was the one in control, something between admiration and complete devotion.
Leaning forward, I began again, swirling my tongue around the head of his cock, and a small furrow appeared above one brow as he was caught between enjoying what I wa
s doing and enjoying the show that I was giving him by fingering myself.
“Fuck.” He thrust a couple of times, as though he was practicing for how he would move when he was inside me. My body reacted to the thought of it, and I closed my eyes and opened my mouth a little more, taking him even deeper down my throat.
Suddenly, he reached down and tucked his hands beneath my arms and pulled me to my feet. He pushed me back against the door, his tongue in my mouth as he raked his fingers through my hair. My heart zinged at his touch, at the feel of him pressed against my hip.
“I need to be inside you,” he murmured in my ear before turning me around so that I was facing away from him. My hands were braced against the door, and I arched my back, shooting a look over my shoulder and fluttering my lashes playfully.
“Then fuck me,” I shot back, a challenge as much as an invitation. He pulled a condom from his pocket and swiftly sheathed himself, kicking off his pants and pushing mine the rest of the way down, taking my panties with them. He ran his hand over my ass appreciatively, letting out a little groan as I posed there for him. When he slid his hand around and then between my legs, I let him, needing this as much as he did. His fingers found my clit as he guided his cock toward me.
“London,” he breathed in my ear as he moved into me, our bodies joining.
“Oh...” I groaned as he began to thrust, stroking my clit at the same pace and sending me into this rolling, roiling desire that felt as though it had wiped everything else from my brain.
He went slow at first, letting me get used to the feel of him, and I pushed, rocking my body back to meet his. But he soon began to pick up his pace, moving harder and deeper until he was fucking me in long, slow strokes that sent shockwaves over my entire body. He was so close to me I could feel his breath on the back of my neck as he moved inside me, the way it seemed to become more feverish and ragged as he went hard against me. The intensity of tonight satisfying me in a way I never knew that I needed. It wasn’t long before I felt the orgasm building, the sensations blurring together and focusing on one goal. My mouth dropped open, and he slipped his hand around my head, tilting my face back toward him so that he could kiss me. His lips against mine were frantic, needy, his teeth catching on my lip as he let out a little groan with each thrust.
The pleasure crested and burst, my knees shaking as he looped the hand that had been between my legs around my waist to keep me upright. He thrust a few more times before finding his climax, a noise escaping him the likes of which I had never heard before. He held himself still as we both came back to reality, and I linked my fingers with his as he planted kisses over my cheek and my neck and held me so close I wasn’t sure he would ever let go.
“I love you.” His words were soft, and for a moment, it was as though he was reading my mind. I turned my head to kiss him, and he held himself inside me, savoring the moment.
I couldn’t believe that Braden Fucking McManus was in love with me.
“I love you, London,” he said again as he looked down on me.
The tears slipped from my eyes, and I could see the love on his face.
After he slid out of me, seemingly reluctantly, he went to dispose of the condom. I leaned up against the door and caught my breath, eyes still closed and not wanting to give up the moment quite yet.
“Couldn’t even make it to the bed, huh?” he teased when he came back and scooped me up easily into his arms and carried me over to the bed. I felt so delicate and light in his grasp, safe against his chest. I nestled my face into his neck and let out a satisfied sigh.
He pulled a blanket over us and then rolled me over and tucked me up against his chest, wrapping his arms tight around me.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked as he leaned forward to kiss me.
“Just thinking how happy I am.” I kept my eyes closed for a moment. I could feel his erection stirring against me. “Someone is ready for round two,” I said playfully, I could feel his lips spread into a grin as he peppered me with soft kisses along the side of my face.
“You can’t expect me not to,” he murmured in my ear. “You’re wiggling your ass against me.”
He moved his hands over my legs and my waist and began to grind against me gently. I wiggled my butt some more.
“You men only want one thing,” I scolded him jokingly and turned my head to kiss him properly. Before I knew it, his hand was between my legs again, his fingers slipping inside me. I groaned and tipped my head back, and he ran a line of kisses up the side of my neck, his breath warming my skin as he went. He fucked me slowly with his fingers, languidly, lazily, and I found myself lost to the pleasure once more.
“I really want to fuck you right now.”
“Have you got a condom?” I couldn’t think straight, not with the way he was playing with me, but my brain was able to form that thought enough for me to get it out.
“Insatiable, aren’t you?” he teased, as he rolled from the bed and went to grab a condom. When he returned, he was already sheathed and slid in behind me and his mouth found my neck again. When he lifted my leg a little and then slid himself into me, I was lost to the sensation of it. He had taken me from behind against the door, but this was way more intimate and intense. He looped his arm around my leg to hold me up and held me tight as he began to move.
“Holy hell.” I sighed, loving the way he felt. I loved him.
“I love you.” The words were still a novelty, and I couldn’t help but smile. I started to move back against him, rolling my hips to take him in deeper, and soon, we had lost ourselves to the pleasure all over again. “I love you, Braden.”
Braden traced one finger along the curve of my waist down over my hip to my thigh and then back up.“When did you realize you loved me?”
“That night I freaked out on you and told you to never come back. When you left, I felt a hole in my chest, and I thought I would die. I wanted to call you and tell you how sorry I was, but I felt so embarrassed by what I had said to you. I thought you would never forgive me for my words. I thought I had ruined the one thing that I had always wanted, you.”
He smiled. “You couldn’t have lost me that easily.”
“I didn’t know that though.”
“Oh, London, when I saw you in the bar that first night, it did something. I can’t explain it.”
“It did?” I knew my question sounded childish, but his words made me feel like a teenager all over again.
“Yeah, it did.”
I smiled up at him. “Don’t let me go.”
“Umm, never.”
I laughed and ran my fingers down to his body and as he started to get hard again.
“Hmm...I think we should see if it is as good the third time.”
He laughed and rolled over on top of me.
“I think I’m going to enjoy finding that one out.” He kissed me and laughed.
“Me too,” I said as I ran my hand down his chest.
Turned out that the third time was a charm, and after we were both spent. I yawned, stretched, and curled against his naked body, drifting to sleep in perfect contentment.
Epilogue
One Year Later...
Braden
“I think that’s the last box, you ready?” I turned to face my new bride.
There was a glow about her, it was happiness, and she radiated with it. I took the box from her and put it in the truck. “Come on, I made dinner for us to celebrate.”
“But we’ve been inside a million times.”
“I know but tonight will be our first night in the new house, plus I got Holland and Paris to promise that they wouldn’t come over.”
London giggled. “How long do you think that’ll last?”
“Not long. That’s why we have to enjoy it now. I mean, come on, we’re only next door.”
Once London had agreed to marry me, the first thing we needed to decide was where to live. I loved her sisters, but I didn’t want to live with them the entire time. So after
a long discussion, it was decided that we’d build a house closer to the barn that handled all of the ranch workings since that was London’s true love. It made the three sisters think about how they were going to work the business going forward. Paris had no interest in leaving the main house, and that was where the garden was, so it worked for her. Holland loved the stables, but there was no place to build a house since the property next to it belonged to Reid. So Paris and Holland were going to be together in the main house until they could figure something out.
“What did you make?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Dinner? Since when is dinner a surprise?”
“Since I decided to make it so.” I smiled at her as she stuck her tongue out and pouted. I closed the door and then walked around to get into my side of the truck.
“Umm, look at the house.” I pointed over to the front porch where Paris and Holland were waving and making crude gestures. Having been raised an only child it had taken an entire year to get used to having sisters.
“See you later,” London hollered at her sisters.
Does he know yet? Paris mouthed and did a weird set of mime gestures.
“Do I know what?” London didn’t look at me. “Honey, do I know what?”
“Oh stop, you aren’t the only one with surprises.”
London held up her middle finger to Paris as we drove off, all of the equivalent of one street block to the house we’d built, our house, the one London and I had designed and picked everything out for, took my breath away.
“Stay there.” I jumped out and raced around, opening her door and then scooping her into my arms. I carried her up the few steps and over the threshold. “Welcome to your new home, Mrs. McManus.” I kissed my wife, who’d only been my wife for one month.
“Why thank you, dear husband.” She gave me a quick kiss. “I’m starving.” As to drive home the point her stomach growled.
I carried her into the house and straight through to the dinning room before setting her on her feet. Everything about this felt right, this was home, not just in the structure itself but London, she was my home. Once she sat and I pushed her chair back in, I made my way to the kitchen.
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