by Alice Ward
I burst into tears. They were suddenly there, blurring my vision and covering my cheeks.
“Quinn!” He jumped onto the stoop and put his hand on my arm. “What happened? Are you all right?”
“I-I thought you were gone,” I gasped. “I came home, and you weren’t here. I called your phone.”
“Oh. I see.” Seth wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in tight. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. I went out for a little bit.”
I sniffed and blinked back tears. I didn’t like crying, especially in front of other people. Unfortunately, I’d done a lot of it in the last month.
“Come on.” He grasped my hand. “Let’s go inside.”
I let him lead me in and close the door.
“I was making dinner,” I explained. “Did you eat?”
“No, I didn’t.” He squeezed my hand. “Thank you.”
The second Starlet saw Seth, she perked up and eagerly searched for a chew toy. Finding her squeaky frog under the kitchen table, she snatched it up and brought it to Seth.
“Hey girl,” he told her. “I missed you too.”
He took the toy from her mouth and tossed it into the hall for her. She ran happily after it.
Seth, still squatting near the floor, looked up at me. “I’m sorry,” he said seriously. “I’m sorry to scare you. I was doing something important, and I forgot my phone. I think it’s here. Probably upstairs in the bedroom.”
“Oh.”
“It’s on silent.”
I turned the stove back on, then poured the pasta in the still boiling water, now feeling incredibly silly. “That makes sense. I called and didn’t hear it…” I stirred the pasta around, watching as the tan strands disappeared into the frothy water. “What happened with you and your dad? Is everything all right?”
“It’s… great. He, uh, he said some things I never thought I would hear. He said he’s sorry if he blamed me for Emmy’s death. He didn’t really think I could have done anything else. He just…”
“Was looking for somewhere to place his pain?” I suggested, moving to the cutting board to wipe it clean from my previous chopping.
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Well, that’s so good…” I spun around to face him and jumped, startled. Seth stood only a few inches away from me.
“Hey,” he said, his breath drifting down onto me.
“Hi,” I replied softly.
He lifted his hand and ran the back of it along the edge of my jaw. “There are things I want to say to you… but they’re hard to put into words.”
I swallowed and teased, “Does any of it have to do with loving me?”
Seth chuckled. “It’s more than that. You saved me, Quinn. If you weren’t in my life, I would have gone through with that assassination, and I don’t know if I would have lived. In fact, I’m sure I would have been caught. Thinking about it now…” He shook his head. “Some people would call it a suicide mission.”
I could hardly breathe. “Did you know that when you went?” I whispered.
“I was trying to be optimistic. I told myself things would work out and I would come home to you, but hell, I just wasn’t thinking straight.”
“But then you were,” I pointed out. “You were the one who saved yourself, Seth.”
“Yeah, but you gave me the power.”
I smiled. “Cool.”
“Yeah, it is cool.” His head cocked. “What did you and London do?”
“We went for a walk.”
“That’s all?”
“And… talked.”
Seth tilted his head closer, and he peered into my eyes, looking interested.
“We talked about life changing,” I explained. “About Heather having a baby and that kind of stuff.”
“Ah.”
“Do you want kids?” I tried to ask the question casually.
“Wow.” Seth looked out the window behind me. “I don’t know.”
A relieved sigh left me. “Thank God. I don’t know either.”
“Why are you asking? Is it because of Heather?”
“Kind of. London brought it up, really. We were talking about long-term plans and making them with partners…” I bit my lip, afraid that I’d said too much.
Seth didn’t look put off though. He gazed at me, his blue eyes increasing in intensity. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah,” I said breathlessly.
“I haven’t had a lot of time to think about the future lately.”
“I know. I know you haven’t.”
“But soon I will.” His free hand pressed against my waist as a smile bloomed on my lips. “I went out tonight to get you something.”
I stared at him in surprise. “What?”
His hand dove into his pocket. Out came a jewelry box.
All the air in the room was sucked right out, like we were in a spaceship and someone suddenly opened an emergency hatch you were never, never, supposed to touch. I opened my mouth and tried to take in some oxygen, but my lungs no longer worked.
The box was so small. It had to be a ring.
And if it was a ring… did that mean it was an engagement ring?
What would I say? I wanted to marry Seth, didn’t I? There certainly wasn’t anyone else I wanted to be with.
But even though we were in love, and I knew he was the guy for me, I still didn’t know if I wanted to get married. Or if it was the right time. We hadn’t talked about the things you’re supposed to talk about. Just like London had said. Neither one of us knew if we wanted kids. Maybe we needed to figure that out first.
And where would we live? What would being together mean for his career? For mine?
Seth opened the box, and I shrank back, both hoping it would be what I thought and praying it wasn’t.
There, on a soft bed of blue velvet, sat two rings.
Wait. That couldn’t be right. Two rings?
They were earrings. Little pearl drop earrings with a cluster of amethysts and diamonds at their tops.
A rush of air left my body. “Oh my God,” I gasped in relief.
Seth grinned wider, obviously thinking my response was due to pleasure over the sparkling gift.
I played it off, taking the box and gazing adoringly down at the jewelry. “These are gorgeous.” Taking them out, I put them in my earlobes, my hands shaking. They were heavy, but not too much. Their weight was just enough to be a reminder of their presence.
“Wow,” I said, fingering the smooth pearls. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“This is why you went out? To get me jewelry? You made it sound like you had to go somewhere important.”
“I did. Isn’t getting my girl a gift important?”
“Was it really that important that you had to go right away and leave your phone?” I asked with a grin.
Seth gave me a cocky shrug. “Nobody’s perfect.” He looked at the stove. “I think your pasta’s done.”
“Oh! That’s right!”
I moved to turn off the stove, but Seth’s thumb was swirling in a circle on my waist, distracting me. “Hey,” I said. “Not fair. I have dinner to get ready. Aren’t you ready for a good ol’ American meal?”
“I’m not doing anything.”
Pushing back a laugh and trying to act serious, I walked my fingers up the middle of his chest. “I know you don’t want overcooked pasta.”
“Mmm.” He moved closer to me, pushing our hips together. “I bet it’s too late for the pasta now anyway.” He nipped my neck.
A little sigh left my lips, and I let my eyes drift closed. Seth bit again, this time a little harder. I jerked, my fingers loosening their grip and sending the wooden spoon I held to the floor.
“Oops,” Seth breathed into my ear.
“You’re seriously not going to…”
He reached around me and turned the stove off. “Not going to what? Seduce you in the kitchen? Set you on top of the counter and fuck you? Eat you out on th
e table?”
“That doesn’t sound sanitary.”
He wrapped his hand around the base of my head. “No, but screw it.”
His mouth catapulted into mine. My lips opened automatically, allowing his tongue the space it needed. I grabbed at his shirt, yanking the fabric, feeling animal enough to tear it in half. Wrapping his arms around my waist, Seth picked me up and deposited me on the kitchen counter.
I yelped. “You can’t be serious.”
He didn’t answer. His mouth was too busy kissing up my leg. I tingled from his touch, the leggings doing nothing in the way of buffering.
“Do you really need these?” he asked.
I looked coyly down at him. “No, I guess not.”
“Good.” He peeled the leggings down my thighs and calves, leaving them in a pile on the floor.
“What about these?” he asked, running a finger across the top of my underwear.
“Not really.”
“Even better.” With a pull and a loud rip, Seth tore the panties in half.
I gasped. “Oh my God.”
“Was that not all right? I’ll get you some more.”
I choked back a laugh. “No, that was hot as hell.”
A growl came from deep in his chest. Rising to his feet, he kissed me hard and deep, his hands working to roll my tank top up. He broke the kiss for a second, pushed the top over my head, then pushed himself between my legs, teasing me with the heat of his body.
“This too,” he whispered into my mouth, unhooking my bra and letting it fall.
I grabbed at the bottom of his shirt, determined that he not be the only one getting a proper show. He helped me get it off then undid his pants. They dropped to the floor along with his boxers. I grabbed Seth’s ass, enjoying its smoothness beneath my palms as he caressed my breasts and hips.
He pushed closer toward me. The placement of the counter provided the perfect height for him to spear me, and he glided smoothly into me, my slick channel welcoming him right away. I groaned into his mouth, my nails clinging onto his shoulders and back like my life depended on it, on this. Seth looped his arms underneath my knees and held them up high. Pleasure flooded me, hitting me again and again, each new rise of the current stronger than the last. I fell back onto my palms. My head hit a pot hanging from the rack, but he didn’t stop.
Seth groaned and gasped, the noises he made entirely new and exciting. I ran my hand over his chest, his shoulder, then down his arm. With each thrust into me, his muscles flexed. Sweat rubbed off him and onto my breast. Seth’s eyes settled on my face, then ran the length of my torso, and back up again. Knowing he liked it, I put my hand on one of my breasts and twisted it slightly between my fingers. He bit down on his bottom lip and groaned.
I gasped again, the pressure in me tightening. Suddenly Seth hooked his hands around my hips and swiftly pulled me off the counter. Turning me around, he grabbed my hair in one hand, bent me over the counter with the other, then pummeled into me again.
My hands searched for something to grab onto, finding the toaster. Seth pushed harder and deeper into me. I cried out as I pulled on the cord to the toaster. The device went flying across the counter.
Seth pulled back and spun me back around to face him.
I gasped in exhaustion. “Jeez…”
He silenced me with a kiss. Pushing into me, he screwed me standing up against the counter. A ripple of pleasure washed over me, and I cried out into his mouth. At the same time, he groaned. We met release together, standing, my ass pressed against the cutlery drawer.
I collapsed backwards to lean against the counter and Seth followed, languidly running his lips along my jawline.
“I…” I gasped for air and fanned myself with my hand.
“Mmhmm?” he murmured into my neck.
“I’m hungry.” I nipped playfully at his shoulder.
“Hey!” He jerked back.
“Sorry,” I grinned. “I just worked up an appetite.”
He spanked my thigh. “You go get dressed. I’ll finish dinner.”
I gathered up my clothes then did my best impression of a salute. “Sir, yes sir!”
“Go before I spank you with this spatula. Although you’d probably love it.”
I stuck my tongue out at him and headed for the stairs. I needed a shower, but that would have to wait. Maybe after dinner Seth and I could jump into one together. Or take a swim. It was a bit cool out but if we didn’t do it tonight we might not get a chance for the rest of the year.
I hummed to myself as I picked out clothes, settling on a short, flowing skirt and a loose t-shirt. I ran my hands through my hair to loosen any tangles, and my fingers grazed over one of the earrings I wore.
I stopped where I was, standing in the middle of the room. Seth’s voice floated up from below, his words indecipherable, but using the tone he did when he talked to Starlet. Shadows from the big tree outside my window danced on the wall and the bed, the movement that had seemed so deathly ominous some nights now beautifully poignant.
So much had happened in the last couple months. I couldn’t even begin to understand it all. Somehow, despite my best efforts to keep him out, Seth had come into my life. I smiled at the memory of the first time we spoke, of how annoyed I’d been with him at the bar.
I would get annoyed with him again. Maybe even as soon as tonight. Maybe before dinner was even over. We both had very specific ideas about how to cook veggies, just like we had very specific ideas about everything else.
Type A plus Type A… what did it add up to? A whirlwind romance or an insane disaster?
It didn’t matter. Like Seth and I had already determined, we’d both been through hell. We’d walked through it on our own, and we’d walked through it together. Whatever came next, no matter what it might be, wouldn’t be able to shake us.
Nothing could shake us.
That knowledge was the best promise I could ever receive. It was better than an engagement ring, better than a baby. Alone I was capable. With Seth I was capable. No matter what happened, things would be right.
Things would be good.
I gave the earring one last rub then went down to dinner.
THE END
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A SPECIAL SNEAK PEEK
TORN (LORDS OF THE CITY)
ALICE WARD
CHAPTER ONE
Thailand
“Such power,” I breathed, watching as an elephant pushed aside a heavy boulder with its trunk, employing a strength I didn’t know it possessed.
Sweat dripped down my back in the sweltering heat, soaking my navy-blue tank top. Though the inferno of the jungle made it almost impossible to move, it was a day to explore, to run wild. My only restraint was the ponytail holder that held the long waves of my chestnut hair back, exposing the flesh of my shoulders, tanned by the blazing sun.
I was in Thailand, backpacking my way through the inheritance my grandma left me. It had been her dream to travel, n
ot mine. But she had raised me, so I wanted to honor everything she would have done with the money had she not been confined to a wheelchair the last years of her life. As much as I loved my grandma, I’d rather be home, in the cold of Milwaukee, putting my Masters in Environmental Science to use, preferably at one of the breweries along the lake, ensuring the fish didn’t become as inebriated as the overexcited brew hoppers.
I hope you can receive postcards in heaven, Grams, I thought.
Traveling may have been in her honor, but I was enjoying myself, especially now. Somewhere between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, I’d joined a group of trekkers in search of a herd of migrating elephants. We’d found them, but we kept our distance, observing the playful beasts from the safety of the lush trails.
“Do you admire power, Imogen?” a man asked, his voice as deep and rugged as the valley we wandered.
“I admire elephants,” I said, refusing to face my companion, keeping my focus on the herd in the distance.
“It would appear so,” he said, fingering the tiny plush elephant I’d tied to the strap of my rucksack, a cute trinket I picked up outside Bangkok.
It was him, Corey, the criminally hot recluse who had joined our party a few miles back. With the legion of tattoos that ran across his strong arms and ripped chest, I was convinced he was an actual criminal. Beneath his sandy blond hair, his eyes were bright green, a fusion of the jungle around us and the sun above, but they were reckless, full of sins he would never confess.
He’d stuck close to me since emerging from the bushes to greet us. I was nervous around him, nervous about the mystery that surrounded his sudden arrival, and nervous about the way my body woke when he was near. It didn’t help that he was shirtless, his tattoos exposed for all to see. Being on vacation ignited me, made everything more tempting. The sun. The fruit. Corey.
I swallowed. With him near, the day had gotten impossibly hotter, but I didn’t trust him. “And how do you feel about elephants, Corey?”
“They’re beautiful creatures. I appreciate beautiful creatures.” He kept his gaze steady on me, studying me with his bright green recklessness.