Save Me

by Heidi McLaughlin

  Once the bike is parked, I help her off and make sure she’s steady before she dismounts. Scooping her up in my arms, I carry her to the door; she unlocks it, taking the keys out of my jacket pocket. When we’re over the threshold, I set her down, but only long enough to lock the front door.

  This time when I pick her back up I do it so her legs are straddling me and I walk us down the hall. Her lips are greedy as she kisses me, while her fingers nimbly work the buttons of my shirt. As soon as her cool hands touch my burning skin, I hiss. I set her gently on the bed and step away from her.

  She watches me undress before she starts taking off her dress. She slips it over her head, showing me her barely-there panties and her perky braless tits.

  “Fuck, Penny, this is going to be so damn fast.” I stoke my rigid cock along my palm and feel the pre-come already seeping out. Even he knows he’s about to get lucky.

  Penny leans back, pulls her thong off, and tosses it on the pile of clothes that have accumulated on our floor. Scooting to the edge of the bed, she beckons me with her finger.

  “What?”

  “Let me taste you,” she mewls, looking at me with lustful eyes.

  I shake my head slowly, matching the stroke my hand is making along my dick. “The minute your lips touch me, I’m done for. I want to be inside of you when I come.”

  Penny understands what I need and scoots back on the bed. I crawl toward her, placing my knees between hers.

  “Shit, I forgot the foreplay.”

  She reaches for me, aligning us together. “I’m ready,” she says as she lifts her hips.

  The contact is almost too much to bear and takes me back to high school when I got laid for the first time. I close my eyes and push in, grunting as I do. The warmth that surrounds me gives me pause. A year ago I didn’t think I’d ever feel this way again, but I prevailed and never gave up.

  Penny flexes, reminding me that I need to move.

  “I just needed a moment,” I tell her as I pull out slowly, leaving just my tip in to tease her. I move slowly into her, watching my dick disappear inch by inch. When I’m fully sheathed I lean down and kiss her, letting our tongues battle for dominance while I slowly move in and out of her. Her nails pinch into my backside, encouraging me to give her all that I have.

  With every moan and slap of the skin, I’m reminded of how amazing our days were together. Making love to her was always the highlight of my day, it was never a chore or something I felt I had to do. It was something I needed that only she could give me. Sitting back on my knees, I let my hands grip her hips. I guide her with each thrust as my cock disappears into her glorious pussy.

  “Penelope,” I groan, as my balls grow tighter. When she touches her clit I just about blow but am able to hold it off. I grip the headboard and slam into her, much to her delight.

  “Yes, Tucker. Oh fuck, fuck, fuck, yes I’m coming.”

  “Holy shit, you’re squeezing me so tight.” The way her pussy milks my cock sends me into a frenzy. I pound into her harder until I blow my load, jerking through the aftershocks of one of the most powerful orgasms I’ve ever had.

  “Fuck.” I’m out of breath and my chest is heaving for air. I roll off of her, feeling the immediate loss when our bodies part. Pulling her into my side, she weaves her legs with mine and snuggles into my side.

  “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for this.”

  “I think I have a pretty good idea, Tucker.”

  I laugh, even though the situation isn’t comical. I move to my side so I can look at her—so she can feel the words that I’m about to say.

  Her hair is crazy and I try to tame it by pushing it behind her ear. I kiss her gently and show her how the rest of her night is going to go. I don’t care if I have to drink three pots of coffee in the morning we’re not sleeping tonight. We have a lot of time to make up for and this was just the beginning.

  “I love you, Penelope McCoy. There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think about you and Claire. Even though I now know the letters weren’t from you, hearing about your life, pretend or not, gave me a lot of hope when I was out there. When I came back, I scoured the city looking for you, determined to find you. I refused to believe that you left me. I knew in my heart that you were out there. I just had to find you. And now you’re here, in my arms where you belong.

  “Your love for me saved me, Penny, from the demons that threatened to take us away from each other. When I saw you for the first time, I knew I’d die a lonely man before I loved again because you are it for me. You and Claire are the reason my heart beats, and without either of you, I am nothing but a shell of the man you met at Magoos so many years ago.”

  Tears fall and dampen her face. I kiss them away until I reach her mouth. Her fingers dig into my hair as her tongue meets mine. She moans, and as I try to pull her leg over my hip—because there’s nothing hotter than watching the woman you love bounce on your cock—she stops me.

  “It’s my turn, Tucker. The day I saw you in that hotel room I felt like I could breathe again. For years I have had this ache in my chest, but you made that go away. I was living, but I was not alive until you walked back into my life. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get here, but I’m here and here to stay forever.

  “I love you, Tucker McCoy. I love that you’re a man of your word. I love that you will do anything for Claire and me. I love that you’re a SEAL despite what they’ve done to you; you’re able to overcome and look past the transgressions of one person, to continue to serve a country that loves you. Most importantly I love that you’re mine.”

  She closes her eyes and I feel her body go soft. The last thing I want to do is sleep, but maybe she needs a nap. We have the rest of our lives to make up for what we’ve missed. There doesn’t need to be a rush on tonight.

  “Sleep, my sweet Penny. I’ll always protect you.”

  IT’S THE FIRST day of my new school. The school I likely would’ve started if my mom and I hadn’t been forced to move. She still doesn’t talk about that day, and I’m okay with it. I don’t think I want to know, at least not yet. My mom assures me that the person who ruined our lives will never do so again. Sometimes I have to remind her my life isn’t ruined, but when I do that I feel like I’m not honoring my dad, Ray.

  It’s odd to think I have two dads, but I do. I don’t know what I’m going to tell kids when they ask me about my life, it’s not something I practiced, but everyone knows now. We’ve been all over the news, and I hate it. For a while the news people were sitting outside our house and they made my parents angry. My Aunt Ryley says the news never came around until Senator Lawson pleaded guilty and everything was out in the open. She’s angry, too, mostly for EJ. She says the news in Washington have been following them everywhere. My escape has been at the Clarke’s. I have spent a lot of time there this summer. I feel safe there and Jensen reminds me of Ray.

  I miss Ray. He’s not a secret in our house. My dad, Tucker, he talks about him. He asks questions and tries to make him a part of my life. My mom says that Tucker is trying to make sure I never forget about the man who raised me. And I like that, even though I know it hurts Tucker’s feelings.

  As I stand looking in the mirror, I wonder what other kid has gone through so much. I’m sure there are a few, and they probably have memories. The only time I remember something is when my mom is talking to my dad and I overhear. I think they’re memories, but maybe they’re figments of my imagination being pieced together by my mom’s story.

  Today is going to be a new day for me, and I’m scared.

  “Of what?” I hear behind me, causing me to jump slightly. I hadn’t realized I actually said the words out loud, but it makes sense. I’m often talking to myself, catching my dad off guard.

  My dad stands in the doorway, leaning against the doorjamb. He’s dressed for work, but according to my clock, he should already be gone.

  “I’m scared about school.”

  “Why?” he ask
s, motioning toward my bed. I nod and he comes in and sits down. I stay where I am, though for only a second, and quickly sit down next to him.

  “What if the kids don’t like me?”

  “Impossible.”

  “You’re biased. You have to say nice things because you’re my dad.”

  He nods and pretends to contemplate something. He does that a lot when he’s thinking of the right thing to say, dragging out the thought process. Mom says he does it to make him look like a genius.

  “You’re right, but I also know you as a person. You have to remember that I didn’t get to be here while you were growing up, but these past few months I’ve gotten to know you and I think you’re a pretty cool kid. You have a lot to offer your new classmates.”

  “Like what?” I huff.

  “Like you’re really smart and you’re fun to hang out with. Your dad is like really awesome.”

  I can’t help but roll my eyes and punch him in the arm. He pretends to fall over, but pulls me into a hug instead.

  The day he made me breakfast, after Ray died, I wanted to hate him. I didn’t want him to be a part of my life and I definitely didn’t want to move here. When we came to visit, everything changed. He made his house a home for me and never pressured me into calling him dad, or tried to make me do bonding things. He invited me everywhere, though, and going to work with him quickly became my favorite thing. It was one of his trainees who opened my eyes to the great dad Tucker already was.

  “Can I invite friends over?”

  “Of course you can. Are you ready to go to school?”

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  “Well I’m taking you today, so if you’re not ready, we’ll skip work and school and hit the beach. Or we can take our bows over to the Clarke’s and shoot.”

  I love that Tucker loves to do one of the things Ray taught me, and now I’m teaching him. I think that is when I knew everything was going to be okay here.

  “Or we could go shopping?”

  My dad shakes his head. “No, no way in hell. If you want to shop, your mom can play hooky. You and I are going to do sporty stuff, like scale walls and repel from buildings.”

  The thought of hanging out at SEAL beach all day does excite me, but making new friends is important, too.

  “Maybe after school we can go to the beach?”

  He winks. “Sounds good to me.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Anytime, Claire.”

  He leans down and kisses me on the forehead, reminding me that it’s never too late to be a parent.

  Read other books by Heidi McLaughlin

  Dan & Amy ~ Thank you so much for the… well everything. From listening to all my panics, helping with research, especially the trip to SEAL beach, taking stealthy candid’s at Coronado and to opening your lives to me. I love you guys and truly can’t thank you enough.

  Yvette ~ this concludes your idea! What’s next?

  Christine ~ you, my friend, are a workhorse. I’m so thankful we entered into a partnership. You’ve taken so much off my plate. I’m so very grateful.

  BT Urruela ~ I was so nervous to email you & ask if you’d pretend to be a Navy SEAL, but you nailed it. I can’t thank you enough of helping me bring my character to life and giving him a badass attitude to go with it.

  Eric ~ you’re a master behind that lens. Thank you for capturing the right image.

  Sarah ~ thank you for always making the best covers for me. Each new one is always my favorite.

  Emily & Crew ~ you ladies work around the clock to make sure everything is perfect. Thank you.

  Megan ~ my lovely mama to be! Thank you for sitting down and reading this story before anyone else. Your feedback was so helpful. I really can’t thank you enough.

  Leslie, Adriana, Ann Marie, Rachel, Jay and Kirby ~ thank you, thank you, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to read and blurb SAVE ME. You have no idea how much your words mean to me.

  Audrey, Georgette, Kelli, Tammy, Tammy & Veronica: You ladies sure do know how to make everything right in my world. I really can’t ask for a better group of girls to spend my time with.

  The Beaumont Daily: You guys rock!

  A special shout-out to my agent, Marisa ~ you have changed my life for the better.

  To my family: I know the hours are long, but I do it for you! And a special shout-out to my girls, Madison & Kassidy ~ you are the definition of hard work. You push yourselves, but allow others to push you to succeed as well and you both have. I am so proud to be your mom.

  And finally to the readers: How you keep up with all the amazing novels being published I’ll never know, but you do it, and you do it proudly. If you’re reading this, take a moment, smile and pat yourself on the back because you, my friend, are a superwoman… or superman!

  Keep reading for a sneak peek at Roped In (An Armed & Dangerous Novel) by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, L.P. Dover.

  Hadley

  “Hadley! Hadley! Hadley!” the crowd cheered.

  I blew a kiss and waved. “Thank you for joining me tonight. I love the energy here in Los Angeles! I have to say, I’ve missed this place. Make sure to listen to the radio this week for the debut of my new song, Whispered Words.”

  “Sing it now!” one of the fans shouted. It was a little girl with blonde braids and freckles, sitting on her dad’s shoulders. She reminded me of myself many years ago, when I stood in almost the exact same spot, watching my idol, Martina Hill perform. One of these days, I was determined to do a duet with her.

  I winked at the little girl and shook her tiny hand. “I wish I could, sweetheart, but it has to be a surprise.” Then I lifted my gaze to the thousands of fans in the stands and waved again. “I hope you all like it. Goodnight, everyone.” They went wild and I laughed as I ran backstage.

  Waiting for me at the edge of the stage with a huge smile on his face was the love of my life, Nick Meyers. No one could resist his tousled, chocolate brown hair and gorgeous green eyes. The ladies loved him, almost as much as they hated me for having him.

  “You were on fire tonight,” he shouted.

  Rushing off stage, I jumped in his arms and squealed. “What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t going to be able to make it.”

  Cameras flashed and he grinned, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “I can leave if you want,” he joked, releasing me from his grasp.

  I gripped his arm and pulled him back to me. “Definitely not. What would the press think?”

  Chuckling, he bent down to kiss me, knowing the reporters were taking note of our every move. “Was that a good enough kiss, or do I need to make it more convincing?” he asked, whispering in my ear.

  Rolling my eyes, I playfully pushed him away. “I think you need a cold shower.”

  “Care to join me?” he quipped, waggling his brows.

  “Right now, we have work to do. Get your head out of the gutter.” We faced the reporters and he held me close as questions were thrown at us in rapid fire. A lady with bright red hair and huge glasses, pushed through the crowd and held out a recorder. “Miss Rivers, we’ve heard rumors you and Mr. Meyers are engaged. Is that true?”

  Nick smirked down at me and I held back a snicker. It was crazy how rumors got started out of nowhere. The next thing I knew, we’d be married and having a baby. “If she was engaged,” Nick began, “I would definitely be letting the world know.”

  We answered several more questions before it was time to go. I knew I was going to have a gazillion autographs to sign on the way to the dressing room. Relaxation was something I needed to schedule now, or it would never happen. I had to get home and get rested up before my early flight to Texas.

  Nick was always patient with me when dealing with the press, but I did the same for him too; he was just as famous. I was a rising, country starlet with one of the best hockey players in the country as my boyfriend. Unfortunately, our romance was all for show, but we played the parts beautifully.

/>   Once we were behind closed doors, I breathed a sigh of relief. “The questions keep getting more outrageous don’t they?”

  “Same shit show, different day.” He helped me pack up my things and stuffed them into my bag.

  “I thought you were busy with the team tonight?”

  “I was, but I made sure to get away early. I missed my buttercup.”

  I rolled my eyes, nudging him with my elbow when he pulled me into his arms. “You have a life too, Nick. I don’t want you sacrificing everything to be with me. You should’ve stayed with the team.”

  “Trust me, baby, I’m not sacrificing a single thing. I enjoy every minute of it.”

  “Even if you don’t get anything in return?” I asked, lifting my gaze to his.

  For the last four months, he was mine, but not really. It was his and his sister’s idea for him to be my fill in boyfriend. His sister, Felicity Myers, was also my agent and the one who’d introduced Nick to me. I guess they were right, it was safer for people to see me with someone, instead of single and living alone. And I enjoyed having him with me, but I didn’t want to drag him into the danger surrounding my life.

  His smile faded, his gaze serious. “I get plenty in return, Hadley. I’m happy where I’m at, even if I have to steal your kisses. It’s not that bad being with me, is it?”

  “Are you kidding? You’re gorgeous and could have any woman you want, but yet you choose to be stuck with me. It makes no sense.”

  “It does to me,” he murmured.

  “I’ve asked you this before, but I need you to be honest with me.” He sighed and nodded for me to continue. “What did Felicity promise you? Surely you didn’t just agree to be with me for nothing in return.” I had often thought about what it would be like to take things further, but I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. When I met him two years ago, we instantly clicked. I considered him more of a best friend than a lover.