by Ali Parker
“Thank you again, for everything. You know how much it means to me and the kids,” she said with a warm smile.
“Of course. I’ll see you around,” I said, waving as we walked out.
We waved goodbye to the staff and headed for the car. Instead of opening the passenger door for me, he pinned me against the car and gave me a searing kiss.
“What was that for?” I asked breathlessly when he pulled away.
“Because you’re amazing, and I love you.”
I giggled before sliding on my sunglasses. “Thank you, I love you too.”
“Good, get in the car. It’s my turn to take you somewhere.”
I sat down in the cool leather seats, turning the AC vent on my face to help cool me down after his very passionate kiss. He got in beside me, reaching over to squeeze my hand before starting the car and driving away. I felt much better and was convinced he truly was okay with the money. The tension I had thought I felt earlier was gone. He seemed much more relaxed.
Chapter 67
Terran
I took her hand in mine as we walked into the bank. I had her sit on one of the chairs in the center of the lobby while I spoke with one of the people sitting at an open desk. I rejoined Hailey who was nervously looking around the huge bank with big black columns supporting the ridiculously high ceiling.
“What are we doing here?” she asked.
I smiled. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
It wasn’t long before a man wearing an expensive suit was striding across the marble floor toward where we were sitting.
“Mr. Maddox, it’s good to see you. I’m Con Steven, the manager here. I understand you have some business you need to take care of?”
I stood and shook his hand. “I do. This is my fiancée Hailey Hollis.”
He shook Hailey’s hand and then led the way to his office. We sat down in the chairs opposite his desk. He tapped on his keyboard, pulling up my account.
“Okay, I see you have a large deposit made recently. What can I help you with?”
“I would like to have a cashier’s check drawn up for half the amount.” I looked over at Hailey who was pale and clenching her teeth. That was definitely her frustrated face.
The manager nodded his head. “Who will it be made out to?”
“The American Cancer Society,” I said.
The manager jotted down the name and got to work filling out the information. I could see Hailey’s foot bouncing up and down and knew she was furious. I was having a little fun with her.
“Okay, that is printing now. Is there anything else I can do for you?” he asked with a friendly smile.
I nodded. “Yes, there is. I’d like another cashier’s check for the other half of that deposit.”
I saw the man grimace and knew he wasn’t pleased to have only had the money in his system for a day. It was nothing short of a miracle that the money had been transferred into my account at all. Hailey was looking at me, her eyes narrowed and a frown resting on her lips. I smiled.
“Who should we make this one to?” he asked through pursed lips.
I grinned and gave him the name of Mandy’s orphanage. I heard Hailey gasp before she reached out and grabbed my hand. I winked at her. Both checks were in my hand as we walked out of the bank.
“I cannot believe you did that,” she said, emotion in her voice.
“I told you I would give it to charity, but I think my dad’s choice will be getting plenty from other people. I wanted to give the other half to a place I know it will be put to very good use.”
She was nodding her head, tears flowing down her cheeks. “Can we take it to Mandy?”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
I drove back to the orphanage. Mandy was in her office when we arrived. Hailey spoke with someone at the reception desk before grabbing my hand and leading me down a hall to Mandy’s office. She knocked once before walking inside.
“Hey, twice in one day!” she greeted.
Hailey was bobbing her head up and down. “We have a surprise. Could you meet us in the rec room?”
Mandy looked at me. I shrugged my shoulders. I had no idea what Hailey had planned. The three of us headed back down the hall and into the rec room where several other men and women who were a part of the staff were waiting.
“What’s going on?” Mandy asked, looking at the secretary, then the director.
“We have no idea. Hailey asked us to gather everyone and meet her.”
Mandy looked at Hailey, suspicion in her eyes. “Hailey, what did you do?”
Hailey was grinning. “I didn’t do anything. My handsome, kind, loving and very generous fiancé has something he would like to give you,” she said, looking at everyone in the room.
I stood there like an oaf. “What?”
She raised her eyebrows. “Your pocket,” she hissed.
I cringed, feeling a little on the spot. I was hoping to make it more of an anonymous donation type of thing. I pulled the check out of my inner pocket and tried to hand it to her. She shook her head, pointing to the director.
I walked toward her and handed her the check. The woman took it from me and looked at it before all color drained from her face.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Mandy asked, going to stand beside the director.
Her mouth fell open. “Is this for real?”
There was a cacophony of screams, hoots and raucous laughter as everyone looked at the check. Then it was time for the tears. There were a lot of tears and a whole lot of hugging as each and every member of the staff thanked me. People heard the screams and filtered into the room to find out what was happening, erupting in more screams.
By the time we left, I had been thoroughly hugged and an untold number of lips pressed against my cheeks. Hailey was practically bouncing as we made our way back to the car.
“That was nice,” I said once I got inside the car.
She started laughing. “I don’t know if you realize how much you have done for this place. They’ll be able to do the renovations they’ve been trying to get done for years. They’ll be able to buy new beds and give the place a facelift in general. They’ll be able to support more kids who are in a situation where a home like this is the best place for them. Right now, they have to turn kids away because they are overcrowded and underfunded. You just saved a lot of kids a lot of misery and heartache.”
I nodded my head, suddenly feeling emotional myself. “I guess I never realized there were places like this that existed. I thought it was all foster homes.”
She shook her head. “Unfortunately, there is a shortage of foster homes, and in some cases, kids need to be in this setting.”
“I understand.”
“Thank you. I cannot tell you how much all of this means to me. I’m sorry I ever doubted you.”
“It’s okay. If I had been honest from the start, I could have saved us a lot of heartache. It was never about the money for me. I wanted you, and I wanted to keep the company intact, even if that meant I had to step away from it.”
She nodded her head, fresh tears welling in her eyes. “I’m sorry, I should have believed you. I’m so glad you came back and made me listen. I love you.”
“I love you, and I would have walked through fire to get you back.”
“I’m so glad you did.”
“Thank you for showing me this. You’ve really opened my eyes. I think we can do a lot more good together. I want to do more of this.”
She was smiling. “Good, because I plan on giving a large chunk of my salary for the movie to charity. I think we should decide where it goes together.”
“What about here?” I asked.
She burst into laughter. “I think that check you gave them is going to go a long way. There are plenty of other charities and organizations that are desperate for funding.”
“True. Maybe we could start a foundation of sorts,” I said, thinking out loud.
“That would be awesome! I have no idea how to do t
hat, but I like where you’re going with this.”
“Before we get going too far, I have a house for us to look at if you’re up for it. I got the email from the realtor I contacted. It just came on the market. He thinks it’s going to go fast so we have to jump on it if we want it.”
“Sure, where at?”
“It’s in the Bel Air neighborhood. Is that an okay commute for you?” I asked.
“If it’s the right house, we’ll make it okay.”
“Great, let me text him and let him know we’re headed out there. He was showing it to a couple other potential buyers.”
“Go!” she squealed.
I burst into laughter. “It isn’t like they can buy it on the spot.”
“If we love it, I want to have the first offer in on the place.”
“Okay, whatever the lady wants.”
We pulled into the wide circular drive of the huge Tudor-style home. Hailey’s hand covered her mouth. “I love it,” she whispered.
I nodded my head. There was something about it that was very inviting. It wasn’t a big white mansion, which is a look I hated. It was a family home with a beautiful front lawn and a brick pathway that led to dark wood double doors.
We knocked on the door before pushing it open. I immediately knew it had to be ours. The warm wood features and the pretty white and beige walls were gorgeous. It had an old-fashioned feel to it but was also very elegant and modern. We meandered through the downstairs living room and huge kitchen area before climbing the stairs to explore the four bedrooms.
“This is the most beautiful home I’ve ever seen,” Hailey said, awe in her voice.
I nodded my head. “I love it. It’s a home, not just a house. Look at that back yard!”
She moved to look out the master suite window and sucked in another breath of air. “Look at all the room to run. And the pool! I would love our own private pool.”
“Is this our home?” I asked her in a low voice.
She was nodding vigorously. “I have to have this place. I know it’s luxurious, and we could of course find something smaller, but I really like this place.”
“Don’t feel guilty for wanting something nice. You deserve it. I’m in agreement if you are.”
“I am. I really want it.”
“What’d you guys think?” a man’s voice filled the quiet, empty bedroom space.
I turned around and nodded my head. “This is it.”
He grinned. “You must be Mr. Maddox,” he said with a satisfied smile.
“I am, and this is my fiancée, Hailey. How many offers do you have on this place?” I asked, wanting to get right to business.
“You would be my first, although, the buyer that was here earlier expressed a serious interest in the place.”
“That’s fine, I’m ready to do this today. Let’s get that offer written up. I’ll pay the full asking price,” I said, not in the mood to negotiate.
“Now that’s what I like to here. I have your email already. I’ll get back to the office and get the offer drawn up and sent over. Hopefully, we’re the first one. I’ll be in touch.”
“Let me know right away. I will pay more if that’s what it takes,” I told him.
The man smiled. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
We took a walk outside, exploring the outdoor kitchen and pool area before heading home. We were both humming with excitement by the time we made it back to my place.
“I’m already imagining the furniture and learning to cook in that kitchen. Kids in the backyard playing with our golden lab,” Hailey was saying as the elevator moved upward.
I nodded my head. “I could definitely see that. This is happening,” I said still in disbelief myself.
“Maybe we can have our wedding there,” Hailey exclaimed.
“That’s a great idea. I hope this offer goes through. We could be in there in a couple months and have a beautiful backyard wedding—if that’s what you want.”
“It is. It definitely is. I need to start dress shopping,” she said as we walked into my place.
I smiled listening to her make a mental list of all things she needed to get done to get the house that we didn’t even own yet ready for a wedding we hadn’t even picked a date for. Everything was happening fast, which was fine by me. I couldn’t wait to make her my wife.
Chapter 68
Hailey
I was happier than I had ever been in my life, riding a high that just seemed to be getting better and better.
“I’m going to jump in the shower,” I told him, heading toward his bedroom.
It had been a long, busy day, and I was ready to unwind with the love of my life and a good bottle of wine. But first, I wanted to feel clean. I stripped off my jeans, before turning on the hot water of his magnificent shower that was big enough to hold a small party in. The jets on the sides and the rainfall shower head made it a very enjoyable experience to shower in his bathroom. I thought about the house we had just visited and regretted not checking out the shower situation closer. I had been so overwhelmed by everything else, the shower slipped my mind.
I stripped out of my clothes and stepped under the hot water, letting it cascade over my body. Suddenly, the room was filled with beautiful jazz music. I grinned, knowing that had been Terran. A few seconds later, I felt a cool blast of air and knew he was joining me.
“Can I join you?” he asked.
I turned to look at him. “I’d love to have some company in this big ol’ shower.”
He stepped close to me, his naked body pressing against mine as we huddled under the showerhead. His hands were gently stroking up and down my arms before he reached for the bottle of shampoo, pouring some in his palm. “Turn around.”
I did as he asked. He began gently massaging my scalp, rubbing the shampoo into my hair before turning me around and rinsing it from my hair. He put in the conditioner next, repeating the same gentle massaging that was quickly increasing the heat between my legs. Once he was finished with my hair, he squirted my strawberry-scented body wash on the loofah and rubbed it over every inch of my body. I was panting by the time he had made his way back up to my neck from where he had been on his knees, giving my body intimate attention to detail.
“My turn,” I said in a husky voice.
I gave him the same slow treatment, washing his hair before scrubbing his body, kissing the places my loofah had been.
“Water’s getting cold,” he rasped as I took him into my mouth, tasting soap and salty goodness.
I moaned, not minding a bit. He gently lifted me before turning off the shower spray and helping me out of the shower.
“Bed,” I begged.
“You’re all wet,” he scolded, reaching between my legs.
I gasped as his fingers worked inside me before leaving me empty. He reached for a towel and began to dry my skin, leaving the area between my legs untouched and wet. He grabbed my hand, leading me to the bed where I climbed on top, laying on my side and watching him. When he crawled beside me and began kissing me, I knew I loved him more than anything else in the world.
He began a slow perusal of my body with his mouth, kissing me behind the ears before moving over my neck, kissing my collarbone and then my breasts. He moved his mouth over one arm before moving back to my stomach, kissing around my navel before moving to the next arm. The anticipation was making me burn with fever. When his mouth moved to the outside of my hip, I casually opened my legs, giving him an open invitation. He ignored it and kissed down my leg to the tip of my toes on one foot before moving up the other leg. My hands were fisted in the sheets, dying for him to kiss me where I was hot and wet, aching with need.
When he finally moved over the top of me, his mouth over my navel, I was nearly panting with need. My body was aching, every nerve ending brought to life with his slow kisses. I waited for him to enter me with either his tongue or cock. When he didn’t move, my eyes opened to find him looking up at me.
“Other side,”
he whispered.
I stared back at him, wanting to tell him to skip it, to just push inside me, but did as he asked, tucking my arms under my head while he ran his tongue down my spine before moving to kiss my shoulder blades. Then it was another slow slash of his tongue and lips down the back of my legs and over the uber-sensitive area behind my knees.
I was on the verge of coming with zero penetration. My body was grinding against the bed, demanding pressure, anything to relieve the ache.
“You’re so beautiful, baby. I love every inch of your body,” he said moving his face next to mine.
I looked at him over my arm, begging him to take the edge off. “Please,” I whispered.
He ran his fingers down my spine, then to my side before gently nudging me over. I happily rolled to my back, my chest heaving up and down, praying for him to give me something. He leaned down, lazily kissing my breasts while stirring up that fire in my belly that was making me extremely uncomfortable. My legs were moving up and down, my head rolling back and forth as the orgasm continued to build. I was convinced I would die if he didn’t touch me soon.
His hand moved to my breast, cupping it and holding it in his mouth as his tongue lashed out and his teeth began to softly nibble, sending electricity straight to my core.
“Oh god, Terran, I’m going to come. You have to touch me,” I begged.
His mouth moved to my other nipple, sucking and nibbling. I could feel my pussy seeping, the sheet beneath growing wet with my juices, and I hadn’t even orgasmed yet. I felt like I had been in the throes of the longest orgasm in the world under his careful ministrations.
I had my legs spread wide, his knees clamping down on my bent knee when I moved to close my legs, hoping to rub them hard enough together to get the relief I was absolutely desperate to have. His hand slowly moved over my stomach, stopping to rest on my pubic bone, inches away from where I needed him to be.
I whimpered in frustration.
“Shh, I’m here,” he whispered.
I felt a tear slip down my cheek. I loved him so much. He had my body taut as a bow by simply loving me and worshiping my body. When his index finger slid down my center, spreading my pussy lips, I cried out in earnest. It was the lightest touch over my clit that sent me over the edge. My body arched off the bed as a violent, earth-shattering climax tumbled me into a place with a million shooting stars overhead. I felt as if I had been electrocuted, every muscle in my body tensing as his finger slid inside me.