With that said, he widened her legs with his knee before sliding his engorged shaft inside her, not stopping until he was as deep as he could get. She felt tight. She felt right.
She wrapped her legs around him as he moved, thrusting, filling her, withdrawing and then filling her again. Over and over. Her scent overwhelmed him, stimulated him, and the feel of her soft skin against his swamped his senses. The sounds of her moans only made his body want more.
He tried to slow down and make it last, but then she’d clamp her inner muscles, overpowering him with sensation. He was close, but he refused to climax without her.
He sucked a breast between his lips. She arched her body in a perfect bow while crying out her pleasure. The heels of her feet dug into his back, her fingernails plowed into his shoulder, but all he could feel was the ecstasy of being inside of her.
And then she screamed his name. His mouth left her breast to claim her lips and there it stayed, even when his body jerked from the force of his own orgasm.
He felt more than just love for her. He adored her, cherished her. He would always and forever honor her.
When he slowly disconnected their bodies and eased her legs down, it was only to lift her back into his arms. “I think we were headed this way before we got sidetracked,” he said, moving up the stairs.
“Getting sidetracked can be a good thing,” she whispered, placing kisses on his chest.
When they reached her bedroom, they fell on the mattress together, fully intent on making this a night they would both remember for a long time.
Fourteen
JoJo glanced over at the clock when she got up from her desk to pour another cup of coffee. It was close to ten. It had been a long time since she had worked this late at the shop. But it was the end of the month and paperwork had to be completed. Due to federal regulations regarding hazardous wastes, air emissions and wastewater, she had a ton of reports to finalize. It seemed there were more this month than the last. Wanda had stayed as late as seven, but she had a date with her ex and had to leave.
Stretching her body, JoJo took a sip of coffee. It wasn’t as good as Stern’s but it would do. She couldn’t help but smile when she thought of her best friend turned lover. It seemed that after declaring their love for each other last week, everything was falling in place.
They’d decided not to make any definite plans for their future until after Riley and Alpha’s wedding. The entire Westmoreland family was excited about the upcoming wedding and expected many of their cousins from out of town to begin arriving this weekend. She had met most of them at one time or another, and she looked forward to seeing them again.
As soon as she sat back down at her desk her cell phone rang and she felt giddy all over when she saw the caller was Stern. He and Canyon had left two days ago for Miami to finalize a deal, and they weren’t expected back until sometime tomorrow morning.
She clicked on her phone. “Hello.”
“Hello, beautiful.”
She smiled. “You wouldn’t call me that if you could see me. I’m still at the shop.”
“The shop? Why so late?”
“Reports. I have to keep the government happy. I miss you.”
“I miss you, too. But guess what.”
“What?”
“Canyon and I finalized everything and decided to return home early.”
She sat up straight. “How early?”
She could hear his chuckle. “Tonight. Our plane just landed.”
“You’re back in Denver?” she asked, unable to contain her excitement.
“Yes. Canyon has gone to get the car. I was going to have him drop me off at your place, but you won’t be there.”
Already she was placing the papers on her desk in a stack. “Wanna bet? I’m leaving now so I’ll make it home before you do.”
“Um, I don’t want to come between you and Uncle Sam.”
“I’ll finish the reports tomorrow.” Just then she heard a crash. “Hold on, Stern. I think I heard something,” she said, getting up from her desk.
“Wait! You’re there alone?”
“Yes.”
“Then stay put and call the police.”
JoJo rolled her eyes. “Stern, I can handle—”
“I know you can, but humor me. Canyon just pulled up and we’re headed there. We’re less than ten minutes away.”
JoJo let out an exasperated sigh. Only if they flew. “The alarm is on. It’s probably nothing but a stray cat that somehow got locked up inside. It’s happened before.”
“I know, but I prefer being the one to check it out to make sure. Is your office door locked?”
“No.”
“Then lock it and stay put.”
Rolling her eyes, she left her seat to go lock the door just as the door crashed open.
“Walter!”
* * *
Walter?
Stern went still. He’d clearly heard the name she’d called out but now all he heard was muffled voices. Then her phone went dead. “JoJo? What’s going on? You still there?”
When he didn’t get a response, he punched in the emergency number. An operator picked up immediately. “I’d like to report a break-in at the Golden Wrench Auto Repair Shop. I was talking to the owner when a man named Walter Carmichael burst into her office. Carmichael has a history of harassing women.”
Chills went up Stern’s spine when he remembered what sounded like JoJo’s door bursting open. “This is Stern Westmoreland,” he said when the operator asked that he identify himself.
After hanging up the phone, he glanced over at Canyon, who was driving. Canyon caught his eye and then pressed his foot on the gas and sped down the interstate.
“I heard. We’re on our way,” Canyon said. “I just hope we get to the shop before JoJo takes the man apart. Evidently, he doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.”
Anger consumed Stern. “Evidently.”
* * *
“Take your filthy hands off me, Walter.”
“Not until I’m good and ready. And you have a lot of nerve calling me filthy, grease lady.”
JoJo drew in a deep breath, trying to control her anger. Otherwise, she would break every bone in his body. She still might. She had been so shocked at seeing him that she hadn’t had time to defend herself. He’d quickly dived at her and grabbed her, knocking her hard against the desk and sending her cell phone flying to the floor. She wondered if Stern was still on the line. Had he heard anything? Was he calling the police?
“Why are you here, Walter? What do you want?”
“I warned you that I would make you pay for being a tease. You owe me a night and I’m getting it. It doesn’t matter to me if I have to take it.”
She’d like to see him try. Did he really think he would force himself on her and get away with it? “You’re willing to risk your reputation, your job, your—”
“My old man will handle you like he did all the others.”
JoJo swallowed. “What others?”
“All those women who tried bringing charges against me, as if they didn’t enjoy what I did to them. But Dad proved they all had a price, which I’m sure you do, too. My old man will pay up. He always does, to keep things quiet.” Walter then made the mistake of shoving her away from him before shouting, “Now take off your clothes!”
Now he’d really made her mad. Thinking about those other women, who had been at his mercy, and his father, who had bought them off, really had her blood boiling. “Take off my clothes? For you? Don’t hold your breath,” she snarled.
She saw anger flash in his eyes. He seemed furious that she had the nerve to refuse him. Intense anger distorted his face as he moved toward her. “No problem, I’ll take them off myself.”
She noticed h
e didn’t have any kind of weapon. Apparently he assumed he could handle her with his bare hands. “Stop, Walter!” she said, issuing her warning. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
He laughed hard. “You can’t hurt me, but I intend to hurt you.”
He lunged for her.
* * *
Canyon, Stern and a patrol car arrived at the Golden Wrench at the same time and everyone was out of their cars in a flash. Stern saw one of the officers was Deputy Pete Higgins, Derringer’s best friend. They were racing toward the front of the building when they heard a chilling scream...from a man.
Canyon glanced over at Stern and a wry smile touched his lips. “Sounds like we’re too late.”
“The bastard got what was coming to him,” Stern said angrily.
The lock on the entry door had been jimmied. With guns drawn, the two officers cautiously made their way inside the building. Ignoring the officers’ orders to stay back, Canyon and Stern were right behind them.
The door to JoJo’s office was wide-open, barely hanging on by the hinges. When they walked inside they found Walter Carmichael in the middle of the floor, holding his crotch and sobbing like a baby. A cool, calm and collected JoJo sat behind her desk working on her reports.
She glanced up at them and smiled sweetly. “I stayed put just like Stern told me to do.”
* * *
More patrolmen arrived on the scene, reports were taken and Walter would be taken to the emergency room. While he lay on the stretcher, still sobbing, Stern walked over to him.
“Didn’t you know that besides being a black-belt champ JoJo’s also a marksman? You’re lucky she didn’t shoot you. She’s also a skilled archer. Can you imagine how it would feel if she’d used a bow and arrow?”
Stern paused to let his words sink in before saying, “You’re going to jail for what you tried to do. Just in case your old man’s money gets you off, I suggest you not come back this way. JoJo holds grudges.”
When Stern saw stark fear in the man’s eyes, he couldn’t help but chuckle before walking off to where JoJo was giving a final report to Pete.
“Can I take her home now?” Stern asked.
“In a minute,” Pete said, frowning. “I’m trying to figure out how Carmichael got past your alarm system.”
“My new guy,” JoJo said. “Walter bragged about paying my new guy, Maceo Armstrong, money to report whenever I’m here working late. And he paid extra to have Maceo cut a wire in the alarm system.”
Pete nodded. “You got Armstrong’s address?”
“Yes. It’s on file in my office.”
“Good. We’re going to pick him up.”
An hour later, Stern and JoJo were at her place. She was in the shower and Stern was in the kitchen pouring glasses of wine. He entered the bedroom just as she walked out of the bathroom wearing a velour bathrobe.
“Here, you need this,” he said, handing her a glass of wine. “You deserve it.”
She took a sip and smiled at him. “Mmm, delicious.” She then sat down on the edge of the bed. “Walter got just what he deserved, you know.”
Stern chuckled. “You’ll never be able to convince him of that. It was pathetic to hear a grown man cry.”
She shrugged. “Like I said, he deserved it. The nerve of him, thinking he could rape me without me doing anything about it.”
“He might not be able to walk again,” Stern said, smiling, liking the idea. “Or have sex,” he added, liking that idea even better. He paused and took a sip of his wine. “I hope I never make you mad.”
“You can handle me.”
Stern thought about what she’d said. Yes, he could handle her, but after a night like tonight, he was glad she could also handle herself. “I propose a toast,” he said, lifting up his wineglass.
“To what?”
“To whom. Your daddy, who had the insight to raise a daughter who could take care of herself.”
JoJo thought about what he’d said and got kind of misty-eyed. She held up her glass and clinked it against his.
“And to you, Stern. For being a man who knows me, inside and out, and who loves me anyway. And for being a man who lets me know it’s okay to be myself and ask for what I want. That means a lot.”
After taking a sip of wine, she placed her glass on the table beside the bed, stood and pushed her robe off her shoulders. “I think you know what I want now.”
Yes, he knew.
Stern pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard and deep.
Epilogue
Tucking her hand into Stern’s, JoJo sat beside him in the packed church as everyone watched Riley and Alpha join their lives together as man and wife. It was a beautiful ceremony and, not surprisingly, the bride, who was an event planner, had arranged the entire thing with help from the Westmoreland women. It had truly been a storybook wedding. The groom was devastatingly handsome and the bride was outrageously beautiful.
When JoJo had woken up that morning to an empty bed, she’d later found Stern standing outside on her patio staring up at the sky and drinking coffee. She’d tightened her robe around her before opening the French doors to step outside and join him.
He’d turned when he saw her and smiled.
“You okay?” she asked him.
This was the last weekend in September and the weather was turning colder. The wind blowing off the mountains was brisk.
“Yes. I was thinking about just how blessed the Westmorelands are, especially the men. They have been lucky to find women who complement them, women worthy of loving forever. I see my brothers and how happy they are with their wives and families, but I never entertained the thought of finding a woman to share that same happiness with me. Now I know why.”
She glanced up at him. “Why?”
“Because I had that woman by my side all along. You were my best friend and the woman destined to be a part of my life forever, as my soul mate, my wife...the mother of my children.”
Tears stung JoJo’s eyes. “What are you saying, Stern?”
He turned to her and smoothed her hair back from her face. “That I love you and want to marry you. I want you to share my name and be with me always. Will you marry me, JoJo?”
She smiled through her tears. “Yes! Yes! I’ll marry you.”
Loud clapping intruded into JoJo’s thoughts and brought her back to the present. The minister had just presented Riley and Alpha as man and wife and everyone was on their feet, clapping and cheering. Riley swept his bride into his arms and walked out of the church. It had been a beautiful wedding and now it was time to leave for the reception.
Still holding her hand, Stern led her outside where they joined Canyon and his wife, Keisha, and their son, Beau, along with Zane and his fiancée, Channing. Zane and Channing would be tying the knot around the holidays, so another Westmoreland wedding would be taking place in a few months.
JoJo and Stern hadn’t yet announced their engagement to anyone, preferring to let Riley and Alpha enjoy their day without any new family news.
Stern leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “What was that for?” she asked.
“Being you.”
“Oh.” She leaned up on tiptoe and returned the favor.
“And what was that for?” he asked her.
She gave him a bright smile. “For not just seeing me on the outside but appreciating the inside, too.”
He leaned down and whispered sexily, “And I do enjoy the inside.”
She was sure her cheeks darkened.
“Come on,” he said, tightening her hand in his. “Let’s go talk to my cousins from Atlanta who are chatting with Dillon and Ramsey. I
think I’ll ask Thorn to build us a couple of bikes.”
JoJo liked the idea. “Okay. Who is that young woman with Thorn and his wife, Tara?”
“That’s Tara sister. She might be relocating to the area from Florida, and Thorn and Tara wanted her to meet all of us.”
JoJo nodded. “She’s very pretty.”
“Come on, let me introduce you,” Stern said.
“All right.”
As they walked toward the group, for some reason, the thought of Walter Carmichael crossed her mind. He was still in jail awaiting trial. Unfortunately, the Carmichael family had suffered a major setback when the judge had denied bail. Even Walter’s father’s money hadn’t helped him. JoJo believed Walter had a mental illness and she hoped he would get the help he needed.
Maceo Armstrong had gotten into trouble for assisting Walter. And then the young man had gone on to confess that he had been the reason for all her missing inventory. He had been stealing auto parts from her and selling them. She had liked him and had been very disappointed in his duplicity.
Before they reached the group of cousins, Stern stopped walking, pulled her into his arms and spun her around. “You’re beautiful and I love you,” he said, placing her back on her feet.
She laughed, catching her breath. “And I love you, too.”
He leaned down and said, “I have plans for you later.”
She smiled up at him, the man who held her heart. “And I definitely have plans for you.”
* * * * *
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