She raised her hips to press herself tighter into his mouth and felt the increased pressure of his hot tongue on her tender flesh. It sent waves of pleasure rocketing through her body and she felt the tremulous beginnings of a climax building deep within her belly.
Cresting that peak while he still covered her most intimate parts with his mouth was a deep sort of vulnerability and she’d never been able to achieve it with anyone but him. She trusted him so completely. Even when she wasn’t sure she did, deep down she knew that was really just fear talking. Fear of what she’d be risking. But he was worth it.
And, of course, she loved him, but love was somehow not quite as rare a gift as trust. She knew how lucky she was to have both, and how lucky she was to have a man in her life that was worthy of both.
The climax that had been building deep within her core suddenly came to a head, crashing over her with waves that were too powerful to resist. They carried her away on the tide of pleasure.
She heard a voice screaming his name and barely even recognized it as her own; it was so full of abandon and desperation.
Before she’d met him, before he’d come into her life and made it so complete by showing her that she had someone to lean on, she could’ve never imagined losing her inhibitions so completely. She’d always held onto them with an iron fist and it felt so freeing to let them slip away in the heat of ecstasy.
Her entire body shook as the orgasm washed over her, taking complete control of her. She wasn’t in charge of either her physical self or her consciousness right then, and she wouldn’t have had it any other way. Half of the pleasure that she felt in that moment came from the letting go.
And that’s exactly what she did. All thoughts were lost as stars spun behind her eyes as she crested the ultimate peak. She had no worries in that moment. Nothing from “real life” intruded. There was nothing but Axel and the pleasure he was giving her, and the only thing she felt that could even rival the physical sensations he was sending through her was gratitude. Not just for the orgasm, although it was freaking awesome, but for the freedom to surrender herself to it because she knew that she could depend on him. That was so sweet and so rare, and she would never take it for granted. Not ever.
When she finally opened her eyes and saw clearly again, the first thing she saw was his face, smiling up at her. She grinned back. “Wow. I could get used to this.”
He rubbed his thumb in small circles on her hip. “Believe me, baby. That’s my goal. I want to be here, right here, for the rest of our lives.”
Tears sprang to her eyes, surprising her. Emotions that she’d locked down for so long gushed out like a flood now that the gates had been opened. She decided to just let it happen, to appreciate it for what it was: love, in all of its many forms.
Gratitude. Pleasure. Freedom. Trust. Yep, those were all just different sides of the same phenomenon.
Love.
“I have one condition.”
He grinned, even chuckled a little. “Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Well, I believe in equality. And if I am going to be naked whenever we’re alone, I think it’s only fair that you are, too.”
A broad smile spread on his face as he laughed and warmth spread through her. She loved the sound of his laugh, especially when she was the one that had made him laugh like that. It always had a certain underlying quality to it, like she’d taken him by surprise and it was the most adorable thing he’d ever seen in his life. She just couldn’t get enough of it.
He jumped up from bed and started stripping off his clothes at record speed. His grin never disappeared as he said, “You drive a hard bargain, but I will agree to that condition.”
In a few seconds, he was completely naked. Not only that, he’d fished a condom out of his wallet, unwrapped it, and unrolled it onto his truly impressive erection.
“Wow, I’m not the only one with a hard bargain,” she said. She was joking, but there was actually awe behind her words. “That is…wow.”
He leaned down and kissed her. “It’s because of you. Because I’m damn desperate to be inside you,” he explained, the raw rasp in his voice making her inner walls ache to be invaded by him.
She leaned back, running her fingers down the ridges of his muscular chest as he positioned himself over her. She spread her legs, every bit as eager to feel him in her as he was to enter her.
When he was poised at her opening, he paused for a moment, stroked her hair, and looked into her eyes as gently as she could imagine. “You’re my world,” he breathed, and then thrust into her.
She raised her hips again and again to meet his thrusts, not knowing if the exquisite pleasure building in her belly was due more to the penetration or the way that amazing phrase kept replaying in her head.
You’re my world. You’re my world. You’re my world.
There was nothing else that could’ve made her feel more cherished, special, and loved in that moment. It was spectacular, and she felt the words (and the sentiment they represented) resonating through every cell in her body.
Axel scooped her up against his chest suddenly, his muscles clenching tight as he clutched her to him. She felt his entire body clench as he reached his climax, and she was right behind him.
Feeling him seize with pleasure was all it took for the swirling waves within her to carry her back up and over the crest. She wrapped her arms around him, burying her head in his neck and her body did the rest, riding out her release until the final spasms claimed her.
When their breathing had returned to normal, the sweat just starting to cool on their skin, they lay there in the bed together and he brushed her hair back from her face. The simple gesture, so basic yet so sweet and intimate, was the thing that let her know, finally and for sure, that yes – this was real. It wasn’t a fluke, or a one-night stand. This was the beginning of the rest of their lives.
CHAPTER 27
“Why do you have to do this so early?” Izzy complained as she yawned and laid her head on the countertop.
“You two were the ones that wanted to be here. You can go back to bed if you want.”
Izzy mumbled something incoherent as Ryder yawned and rubbed his eyes.
The two were seated at the butcher block island in the kitchen that he’d just finished building. The four of them, well five if they counted Lucy, had moved into the house four weeks after the opening night of the play and had lived there for two months. It had been the best three months of his life. Brynn, in true Brynn fashion, had surprised him by agreeing to move in together right away. After living in the same house her entire life, she said the idea of living in different houses and renovating them was exciting. And both Ryder and Izzy were down with the plan as well.
She said she was ready for a fresh start, new beginnings, although she did seem bummed to leave her deck. Axel promised to build one with her in whatever home she deemed their forever home.
“How much longer is this going to take?”
“It’s French toast. You can’t rush French toast.”
Axel was preparing Brynn’s favorite, French toast, eggs, hash browns, and freshly squeezed orange juice. He hadn’t slept a wink the night before because he hadn’t wanted to set an alarm because he knew that it would wake her up. And he’d had to quietly smuggle Lucy out of the room when he left at four a.m. because he knew if she smelled food she’d scratch to get out and wake Brynn up. Then he’d had to wake up two teenagers, which should’ve been easy since it was something that they’d both made him promise that he’d do. As he was beginning to learn though, with two teenagers in the house, nothing went as expected. And he loved it.
He loved every slammed door, every rolled eye, and every glare that he received from Izzy on a daily basis. Ryder was much more chill than Iz, but he did have his moods. He hated cleaning the bathroom, which was his chore every other week. Brynn had asked Axel to be in charge of making sure the kids did their chores and did them right. It didn’t make him the m
ost popular person in the house, but he loved doing it. Because he loved his family. They may not be the most traditional bunch, but they were a family.
As he plated the hash browns, he heard snoring and turned around expecting to see one of the kids drooling on the island. They were both awake. He looked down and saw that Lucy had fallen asleep sitting up, her little body leaning against the cabinet and her tongue hanging out, sawing logs.
“See?” Izzy threw her arms up. “It’s too early even for Lucy.”
They all chuckled, but Axel shushed them, scared that Brynn would wake up and come out to see what the noise was. This had to be perfect, he didn’t want anything to ruin it.
They both rolled their eyes at him this time…and he smiled to himself.
Several minutes later, after triple-checking the tray to make sure everything was in place, he lit the candles and carefully picked it up. He took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s go.”
Ryder picked Lucy up and carried her, since it really was too early for the princess.
As the four of them walked toward the bedroom, Izzy excitedly whispered, “Are you nervous?”
“No.” At least not about what she was asking about. He just wanted everything to be perfect. Something he’d never thought was possible until he met Brynn.
He turned the knob and as the door opened, they all started singing, “Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday,” he went with beautiful, Ryder sang mom, and Izzy sang Brynn, and they all finished strong with, “Happy birthday to youuuuuuu!”
“Oh my gosh! Thank you guys!” She was blinking as she sat up, smiling from ear to ear. “What time is it?”
“Four forty-seven,” Izzy quickly responded.
Brynn’s jaw dropped, as she rubbed her eyes. “I can’t believe you guys are all up and you made me breakfast in bed.”
“Axel made the breakfast.” Ryder gave credit where credit was due.
“But we are all up.” Izzy did as well.
Axel smiled as he placed the tray so the legs set on each side of Brynn’s legs. “Make a wish.”
She started tearing up, and shook her head back and forth as she looked at all of them, overwhelmed with emotion. “All of my wishes have already come true.”
This time, Brynn did exactly what he’d expected her to, and he was prepared. “Okay, well then do you mind if I borrow it?”
She wiped one of the tears that had fallen down her cheek and laughed, “You want to borrow my birthday wish? I’m not sure it works like that.”
“Let him have the wish, Mom,” Ryder prompted from beside him, still holding Lucy in his arms so she didn’t try and eat the food on the tray.
Not exactly subtle, but Axel was so happy he didn’t care.
Brynn’s eyes bounced between all three of them before she hesitantly agreed, “Oookay.”
He bent down and blew out the candle, and she gave him a questioning look.
“Want to know what I wished for?” he asked.
She stared at him like she was trying to solve a puzzle. “You can’t tell me, it won’t come true.”
Other than Ryder going slightly off book, this was going exactly as Axel had rehearsed it in his mind. “Yes, it will. Because this was a borrowed wish, and borrowed wishes can only come true if you say out loud what you wished for.”
He got down on one knee and her bottom lip started quivering as her hand flew over her mouth.
“My wish is that you, Brynn Daniels will marry me.” He took the ring his father had given his mother out of his pocket. “I know we haven’t known each other that long. It’s only been a few months. So you probably think I’m crazy. You don’t have to say that you’ll marry me, but you do have to accept this ring. It’s my birthday gift to you. This ring is a promise that I will always be here for you. It’s a symbol to remind you every day that whether it’s breakfast in bed, or dancing to ‘Runaround Sue’, or building a deck with you in our forever home, I want to make all your dreams come true. Forever.
“You are the most amazing woman I’ve ever known. Besides being ridiculously hot, you are kind, and generous. You’re funny and brilliant. Everyone who meets you falls in love with you. I know I did, from the moment you opened the door and Lucy—”
Brynn reached out and covered his mouth with her hand as her eyes grew wide. She obviously didn’t want the kids to know about their first meeting.
“And Lucy what?” Ryder and Izzy both asked.
“Nothing.” She gave him a look that said she meant business and she wouldn’t think it was funny if he spilled the beans about her wardrobe malfunction, which he had no plans on doing. It was just cute to see the fire in her eyes.
He smiled against her palm and she lowered her hand.
“From the first day we met with kit and caboodles and dropped keys.” He wagged his brows and her head fell back as she laughed. “I knew then that you were special. You had an energy, an authenticity, a genuine quality that drew me to you like a magnet. I tried my best to fight it, but I couldn’t help myself. I fell madly, completely, and totally in love with you. And I’m the luckiest man in the world that you love me back. So, I’m going to ask a question, but the ring is yours no matter what.”
“Okay.” She chuckled as tears fell down her cheeks.
“Brynn Daniels, you’ve already made me the luckiest, happiest man in the world, so I know it’s greedy to ask for more, but I’m gonna do it anyway. Will you marry me?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” she cried as she reached for him but the tray was in the way.
Izzy and Ryder reached down to move it and in doing so, Lucy was able to wiggle out of Ryder’s arms and she knocked the tray out of their hands. The breakfast went flying in the air before landing on the floor. Which worked out great for Lucy who jumped off the bed and started gobbling it up.
Axel started to clean it up since the kids were doubled over laughing however Brynn pulled him into her arms. “I’m sorry. I wanted this to be perfect,” he said against her neck as he held her tight.
She leaned back and cupped his face, smiling from ear to ear. “It is perfect.”
And like always, she was right. It was perfect.
The End
Austin’s Story
Don’t miss Austin Stone’s story
Whisper of Temptation
Coming September 2018
*The novella version of Austin’s story Going to Find Temptation was originally published in the fabulous Erin Nicholas’s Sapphire Falls Kindle World. Whisper of Temptation has been revised (it’s got new storylines, plot twists and all, y’all), expanded (it’s a full-length novel, woot-woot), and is now set in Whisper Lake (with a whole new cast of characters, including the Needlepoint Mafia).*
* * *
Sign divorce papers…check
Road trip to Whisper Lake…check
Fall in love…
Sara Kellan was ready to start the next chapter in her life. With two little ones depending on her, the blue-eyed beauty knew she had no choice but to find her way again. What she didn’t know was that she might find something more than she bargained for in Whisper Lake.
Break off engagement…check
Return to Whisper Lake to settle B&B business…check
Meet the love of his life…
Austin Stone was finally ready to step up as the owner of his late grandparents B&B. After serving his country, the sexy Marine knew that he had to face his past in Whisper Lake. What he didn’t know was that he just might meet his future as well.
After putting everyone else needs in front of her own, will Sara finally be able to let someone else take the wheel?
After losing so many people he’s loved, will Austin be able to let someone else in?
Discover the magic of Whisper Lake in Whisper of Temptation.
A Note From Melanie and Shawna
Helloooo! Did you know that we are a sister writing team? That’s right, two for the price of one! Okay, we told you something about us, n
ow it’s your turn. We LOVE getting to know our readers so please like our Facebook page and join us in our reader group: Club HEA with Melanie Shawn AKA our happy place where we’re building a community of support, friendship, and share our love of not only books but also movies, music, life hacks, fitness, kids, friendships, love, food, the daily grind, wine and other adult beverages, and hero inspiration in the form of hot guy pics.
We hope you enjoyed your trip to Whisper Lake. Between its haunted castles, fairytale themed small businesses, meddling friends, hunky heroes, hilarious heroines, and a knitting club ran by matchmaking mafiosas, it has something for everyone. Each visit you’ll meet a new couple and a cast of characters that make their journey to happily-ever-after all the more entertaining.
Brynn and Axel were made for one another….whether they liked it or not, lol. These two didn’t make it easy, but it was worth it in the end. Want to know the soundtrack of their story? Check out their playlist below.
Brynn & Axel’s Playlist:
Endless Love – Lionel Richie, Diana Ross
Halo – Beyoncé
Fallin’ All In You – Shawn Mendes
At Last – Kina Grannis (Cover)
How To Love – Sara Farell (Cover)
You and I – John Legend
Perfect – Ed Sheeran
One Kiss – Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris
Girls Like You – Maroon 5
Turn Back Time – Daniel Shulz
When A Man Loves A Woman – Michael Bolton
And to keep up with all our new releases, sales, and general book shenanigans make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
And as always we wish you love, laughter, and happily ever after!
Shawna & Melanie
Psst…did all the Violet, Erin, Samantha, and Lucy fans find the Easter eggs and blatant shoutouts??? Let us know in Club HEA!
Psst…psst…there was also bonus Jill Shalvis, Carly Phillips, and Lori Foster (who the entire Whisper Lake series is dedicated to) Easter eggs. Did you catch them???
Whisper of Attraction Page 23