by LK Collins
“Oh fuck,” I moan. The feeling is so good.
Slowly he teases me, nuzzling himself all the way inside of me, then taking his hands, he grips my ass pulling my cheeks apart and begins to move. He’s so gentle moving in and out of me.
“Christ, I love your pussy,” he tells me.
I moan in return, bracing my weight the best that I can. Bain stays slow with his movements and asks, “Is this okay?”
“Yes,” I respond. My body is now covered from head to toe in bliss. Everything he does makes me hot. He picks up speed a little and the faster he moves the louder I get. Dropping my head down low, I know this won’t last long. My body is too close. But I hang on, knowing that soon everything will be different. We will no longer have our time together to fuck whenever we please like this, because baby Aaron is going to flip our world upside down.
“Fuck,” Bain yells, and I feel his cock harden even more inside of me. I know he is close and I stop fighting my orgasm. I push myself up so I am just kneeling; my back is to his front and we wrap our arms around each other.
As he moves himself into me so deeply, my body convulses. Everything quakes and I close my eyes tightly, then…my release. It hits me hard. My orgasm washes over me and I scream. Letting Bain take me out of this world. He grunts along with me, still being as gentle as ever. Goddamn, he’s something else.
Once our bodies settle, he lays us down on our sides. His hand rests comfortably on my heart, on his heart. It really is no longer mine. It belongs to him. Lying with Bain in silence like this is the best place in the world. My body relaxes and I give in to the inevitable sleep that I need. Then out of nowhere, it happens. I sit up, looking between my legs and I know it’s time. “Fuck, my water broke.”
Nate
“Rookie of the Year, Bain Adams, has welcomed his first child into the world. Sources close to the couple say both baby and mom are doing well,” the tabloid reporter says through the TV. I grab the remote, pissed that my mom left this shit on and turn it off angrily.
With news like that, I feel like the last thread of the hold I’d been grasping on to with Arion has just completely slipped away. Taking my shoes off, I grab everything I need to make a protein smoothie. My workout today was brutal. Lately, I’ve been pushing myself beyond my normal limits. Partly to replace the pain of the loss I feel for Arion with something else, and also I just want to get into the best shape of my life.
It feels good to know that I am getting there, slowly, but surely. I mean, last I’d checked I was up to a hundred and ninety pounds and it’s all muscle. My phone rings as I start to wash some of the fruit I’m using. I wipe my hand on a towel then grab it. I can tell it’s the gym.
“Hello,” I answer, resting the phone between my ear and shoulder.
“Hi Nate, it’s Amanda. I’m really sorry to bug you, I tried to call Nash first but he didn’t answer.”
“It’s okay. What’s up?” Amanda is one of our personal trainers and does a few of the classes we offer.
“This is going to sound really dumb, but I twisted my ankle working out after my shift. It’s really swollen, so I’m going to have it looked at. But I’m not sure that I can open in the morning. I mean, I’ll—”
I cut her off, “I got you. Don’t even worry about it. Just take care of yourself and let me know what the doctor says.”
“Thanks,” she responds.
“Any time.”
We hang up and I start the blender. In the distance I hear a bang, but with the blender going, I’m not sure if that’s really what I heard. Once my drink is all finished, I pour it into a cup and head upstairs. When I got home my mom was sleeping, so I’m sure it wasn’t her.
But to be sure I head towards her room. Quietly I open the door, making sure I don’t wake her. Peeking in, she’s not in her bed like she was before.
My heart starts to race. “Ma,” I yell, but get no response. I go into the bathroom next to her room. The second I take in the scene before me, I drop the cup out of my hand as nothing but sheer horror flashes before my eyes…
For my Readers
You did it! You patiently waited, and finally, after what seemed like forever, found out what happened to Bain and Arion. I need to give each and every one of you a big thank you. I know at the end of Every Soul, you were mad at me, and I said it then and I’ll say it now, “That’s okay.” Every Soul was not intended to give Bain and Arion their HEA, but Every Heart was. I know with this book, you were freaking out, wondering who she was going to choose and wondering what was going to happen. But throughout the journey and all that wondering, did you really think that Arion wouldn’t pick Bain? Like he said, “I really think if you follow your heart, then we’ll end up together.”
So with that said, what’s next? Well, our boy, Nate, needs his own book, wouldn’t you say? He’s beefed up and toned, now he just needs a lady. The problem: all he wants is Arion. Clearly he can’t have her, because Bain, Arion, and baby Aaron are happy and far, far away in Miami. My point being, Every Love is all Nate, no cliffhanger, I promise.
After Every Love, I’m diving back into the Life. Destiny. Fate. series to give Liam his own book in Skepticism, then we move on to Lincoln’s book in Optimism. So if you haven’t read any of the Life. Destiny. Fate. books, you so need to. They are HOT and packed full of steamy sex!
Acknowledgments
To be sitting here writing this and to have completed my fifth book is simply…mind blowing. Someone please wake me up, because this must be a dream come true.
Anyone who knows me, knows I can’t do what I do without my partner in crime, Mr. Prezident! So as always, I must start my thanks to him. Thank you for planning these stories with me and for making sure that they come to life beautifully. Your craft is amazing, and as I’ve said before, I will always keep it to myself. Not only do you push me with my writing and are brutally honest in doing so, but you love and support me along the way. Damn, I’m lucky, so lucky. Thank you, baby, for simply…everything. I love you.
Lisa, Lisa, Lisa, shall we agree to disagree? In this one we did, and I have to say it was a first. Normally, I am a good student, I always listen and take what you have to say into consideration, but with Every Heart, I knew my readers would kill me if I dragged out the break-up. So, I had to stick to my guns. Now I’m not saying I won, but I recently had lunch with a blogger and one of the first things she said when we sat down was, “Thank you for having Arion make her decision so early.” Enough about that. Thank you for always having my back and for supporting my vision with my stories. I love how well we work together and how we laugh at the same things. I can’t believe we have completed four books together, and I’m so happy to do so many more.
Leticia, thank you for knocking this baby out so quickly. You are so great at what you do and I appreciate it. I can’t believe we’ve completed another book together. You have become such a dear friend to me and for that I am grateful.
To my Pimpettes and Book Club, I love you all! You support me in the most unimaginable ways. Thank you for reading and loving my stories, for pushing me to be a better writer, and most of all, for your honesty. Thank you for yelling at me and telling me how you really feel.
Lydia with HEA Bookshelf, thank you for helping me organize both a successful cover reveal and blog tour. And to every single blogger that has helped me along the way, thank you! As an indie author, what I do would not be possible without all of you. I wish I could name each and every one of you, but I’d leave someone out and that wouldn’t be fair. But please know: every tag or blog post or mention of my books and my work makes me so happy.
Zero F*cks
Copyright © 2016 LK Collins
Cover Design by Prezidential Visions
Edited by Lisa Christman, Adept Edits
Formatting by Prezidential Visions
Photography by curaphotography
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electron
ic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owner.
Dedication
Mr. Prezident, my sexy husband, thank you for teaching us all how a man lives giving zero f*cks, through the eyes of Nixon.
1
Cameron
“Oh my God, Conner, I miss you so much,” I tell my brother, as we video chat. And even though I can see his face, it’s still not the same…or enough.
“Seven months and you’ll have me home, sis.”
“I can’t wait.” He’s serving his second tour overseas and has been gone for way too long.
“Have you talked to Mom and Dad?” he asks me.
“Not since Easter. You?”
“No, I got a package on the ship the other day from them. The postage looked like it came from Belize, but who knows where they are now,” he says.
Our parents sail the world. My brother and I grew up spending a lot of time on their sailboat. It’s probably why we both love the water and do what we do for a living—he’s a Navy SEAL and I’m in the US Coast Guard. “Mom said they’d be here when you got home.”
“You’re still cool if I crash with you though, right?”
“Are you fucking kidding me? I’d be pissed if you didn’t.” Our parents would welcome him on their boat, but when Conner comes home, he likes to be off the water, and I can’t blame him. Sometimes you just need solid ground. The feed cuts out on my laptop, and his face blurs for a second, then he’s back. “Can you hear me?” I ask, knowing a lot of time when it cuts out we lose our audio connection.
“Yeah. Hey, I meant to ask you, have you seen Nixon? I know he moved back home after getting kicked out of the Navy.”
“Hell no. You know I don’t want to see him; don’t even say his name.”
“Oh, come on, Cam, you aren’t still pissed at him, are you?”
I roll my eyes hating to be reminded of anything that has to do with Nixon Andrews or my past with him. He broke my heart, plain and simple. “I’ll never forgive him. Besides, he’s the reason you’re halfway across the world.”
“No, he isn’t! I made this decision on my own and you forgave me for leaving too.”
“Conner, you don’t need to protect him anymore.”
“I’m not. Come on, I’m here to protect you. Anyway, I asked because I wanted you to know he’s been through some crazy shit. He’s not the same guy he was when he left.”
The feed cuts out, and I switch the subject when he comes back into view, not wanting to talk about Nixon or the past any longer. It was five years ago, and clearly if he’s back and not contacting me, he’s as done with me as I am with him. I worried about him for long enough. I’m done with the Nixon pity party. “Do you need anything that I can send you?”
“Hmmm. Maybe some beef jerky, and you know what? I could really use a new pair of sunglasses.”
I chuckle at his list. “Really, that’s it?”
“Yeah, that’ll do.”
“Hollis, time’s up.” Someone yells at Conner in the background and I need to get going myself. The guys will be here any minute to pick me up.
“I love you, little sis,” he says, and I tell him, “I love you too, Con. Be safe.”
“Always. We’ll talk in a few days.”
The screen goes black and the same feelings I always get when I say goodbye to him wash over me…fear—anxiety—tension. I’m scared for my brother’s safety. He is out there, in the middle of nowhere, fighting to keep our country safe. A knock on the door startles me, bringing me out of my worries. I get up, letting Guy, Seth, and Luke in. We all work together, and I’m glad to have them as a distraction right now.
“Hey,” I hug them all, excited to get out and have some drinks, but I’m also sad that this is going to be our last time with Seth.
“Well, don’t you look hot tonight?” Luke says grabbing four shot glasses from my kitchen cabinet as he rubs up against me.
“Why, thank you, but I’m with you fools, so no one’s gonna be looking my direction.”
After what Nixon did to me, I’ve had a hard time trusting men, but these guys have shown me that some men can be honest. Seth unscrews the bottle of tequila and fills the shots, then we all crowd around my tiny kitchen. “To Seth,” Luke says, “We’re gonna miss you, brother.”
“Here, here,” we all chant and knock back the shots.
Seth is moving to California with his wife, lucky enough to get reassigned near her family since they are expecting their first baby. He also got an awesome promotion to lieutenant, so none of us can blame him for leaving, even if we selfishly don’t want him to.
“One more before we hit the road?” Luke asks and I don’t argue—I need to unwind after the crazy ass day we had at work. Thankfully, we’re off tomorrow, so we can let loose.
Luke happily refills our shot glasses and gives me a wink. We knock the strong liquor back again.
Leaving my apartment, we head to Seth’s favorite little hole-in-the-wall bar. As we pile into the back of a cab, Seth asks us, “Has Mack told any of you who’s replacing me?”
“No, we don’t have a clue,” I tell him.
“It’ll probably be some poor shmuck fresh out of training,” Guy says from the front seat.
“No way. Mack wouldn’t do that to us.” And I have to agree. Our team has worked together for four years, day in and day out. We’ve completed more successful helicopter missions than any other four-person unit. Guy and Luke are both ex-Navy, and for Seth and I, well, the Coast Guard is our first love…so it’s our life.
Pulling up to the bar, Guy pays the driver, like he always does. He’s the pilot, so we let him. After all, the ass makes double the money we do.
“You wanna sit at the bar tonight?” I ask.
“Mmmmm, let’s grab a table, if that’s cool,” Seth says.
We sit down and Guy opens a tab with the waitress. “When are you leaving?” I ask Seth.
“Tomorrow.”
“Did you guys find a place yet?”
“No, we’re gonna stay with Tabitha’s parents for a bit, until we sell our house here.”
The waitress brings over a round of beers and I glance at Guy texting on his phone. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s Macey, she’s a little pissed that I didn’t invite her to come out with us.”
“Why didn’t you?” I ask him.
“I don’t know, it slipped my mind.”
“That’s what I don’t get about you guys. You always want us to tell you where we are and what we’re doing and include you, but you can’t do the same.”
“Oh, please, Cameron, don’t even take her side…you were my friend first, and don’t forget it.”
“I’m her friend, too, and I’m gonna stick up for her when you make the wrong move, asshole. So invite her. Seth, you don’t mind if she comes, right?”
Luke chimes in knocking back a drink of his beer and says, “You guys know this has nothing to do with you; it’s got to do with her brother keeping her in the dark about becoming a SEAL.”
“Fuck you, asshole!” I retort, hating how well they know me.
Yeah, maybe my sensitivity to being out of the loop does have everything to do with Conner leaving and my ex, Nixon, too. But I’ve never spoken of Nixon to the guys. Since the day he left me and broke my heart, I turned my back on him, the same way he did to me.
Pulling my phone out as it buzzes, I see a text from Macey. S
he’s so sweet in her message, I’m not barging in on your last night with Seth. Everything’s good. I promise.
Letting go of the subject that somehow got turned around on me, Luke asks me, “Do you want another drink?”
“Sure.”
He orders for us as Seth and Guy are deep in a debate about the speed of our Jayhawk. “You’re gonna miss him, huh?” Luke asks me as I watch Guy and Seth, and I smile, nodding in response. I really am.
He reaches under the table squeezing my thigh to comfort me, and I swallow hard. I’ve never hooked up with any of these guys, sticking with my standard MO of safe distance from all men. They’re my best friends, but Luke has always seemed to like me, flirting and winking and touching me all the time.
Grabbing his hand as it rests on my leg, I squeeze it back. I can’t deny that I like the affection he gives me. The waitress brings over our drinks and as she sets them down, we let go. Guy and Seth look over at us and ask, “Where the hell are ours?”
“That’s for not inviting Macey!” I tease him.
“Whatever!” He flips me off and Seth says,“Oh, stop being such a pussy.” No one puts Guy in check…no one, so Luke and I can’t help but laugh. Sitting back, I experience the camaraderie that we all share to the fullest, loving our fun banter, because when it comes to our next shift, it won’t be the same without Seth. The connection that the four of us share is so tight. The laughs, the bond, everything, it’s perfect. There is no way that Mack can ever find anyone else to replace Seth…ever.
Holding the dart between the tips of my fingers, trying to focus in on the board, I’m so buzzed and it doesn’t help that Luke keeps distracting me. “Wanna make a bet?” he whispers in my ear.