Hard Compromise (Compromise Me)

by Samanthe Beck

  “Jailbait, this relationship is going last forever.”

  Epilogue

  “Oh, yeah, I want it. All of it. Don’t make me beg.”

  Laurie looked up from replenishing a tower of mini-bundts to find Arden St. Sebastian staring longingly at the display case. Behind her, a small crowd of people packed into Babycakes by the Beach, celebrating this evening’s preview before tomorrow’s grand opening.

  Before Laurie could respond, Chelsea appeared and swept Arden into a hug. The big, shiny diamond decorating her best friend’s finger glinted in the overhead light, and Laurie couldn’t help but smile. Chelsea’s attempt at a no-strings fling with Rafe St. Sebastian had failed spectacularly, and she’d never been happier. “Hey! I’m so glad you could make it. Have you met Laurie?”

  “Pleasure,” Laurie said, extending a hand to Chelsea’s future sister-in-law, and trying not to feel guilty about wanting to bitch-slap the dark-haired beauty the night of the Las Ventanas party.

  “The pleasure is all mine. Seriously.” Arden eyed the case again. “I found my happy place the minute I walked through the door. I want to move in. I’ll bunk right here.” She tapped the glass, indicating the upper shelf of the display case holding a selection of small, frosted cakes.

  “Wait.” Laurie handed her a chocolate-glazed chocolate bundt. “You should try before you pack your bags.”

  Arden took a big bite, and then closed her eyes and groaned. “Oh. My. God. That is the closest I’ve come to an orgasm in…I can’t even remember. I’ll take a dozen. No, wait. Two dozen.”

  She laughed, and nodded to one of the employees she’d been able to rehire, who began filling a box with cakes. “You need to get out more. Good as these are, nothing beats a real orgasm.”

  “Truth,” Chelsea nodded.

  “Girl, if I’m ever going to have a shot at it, you’ve got to stop my brother from buying hotels. Between work, and”—she paused, and then waved her hand as if swatting the thought away—“more work, I haven’t had a moment to play, much less find a playmate.”

  “Aren’t you headed to Maui soon?” Chelsea asked. “I guarantee you a week at St. Sebastian’s newest resort will solve that little problem.”

  Arden shook her head, and gave Laurie a wry smile. “My life looks fabulous on paper. I’m flying out this week, but it’s more work. Help put the St. Sebastian stamp on the property and keep my father from forgetting he stepped down as chairman of the board.”

  Chelsea grinned. “Good luck with that—”

  “Congratulations, ladies!”

  Laurie turned to see Kate and Aaron cutting through the crowd. They walked hand in hand, glowing their newlywed glow, despite returning from their honeymoon almost two months ago. The glow might well be permanent, she theorized, as she automatically searched beyond them for Booker. She pushed past a little eddy of disappointment when she didn’t spy him. “Hey, you two. Great to see you.”

  “We wouldn’t miss your big night,” Kate assured her, and then leaned over to hug Chelsea and Arden.

  “Damn right,” Aaron agreed. “The missus promised me cake and a shag.”

  Kate thumped him in the chest with the back of her hand, but Laurie just laughed.

  “Well, I can help with the cake part.”

  “Jesus. Everybody’s getting laid except me,” Arden complained.

  “Still involuntarily celibate?” Kate’s eyes went wide. “Don’t mention that to my mother, unless you want a bag of DIY.”

  “Not necessary,” Arden replied, and lifted the last bite of her cake. “I found a perfectly satisfying substitute.”

  “Cheers, love, but I feel obliged to point out, some of us manage to ’ave both.”

  While Arden chewed on that, Laurie asked the question she’d been trying to stifle since Kate and Aaron walked in. “Um…where’s Booker?”

  They glanced at each other—quick, but she caught the look—before Kate said, “He’s running late. He told us to tell you he’ll be over as soon as he can get away.”

  Disappointment swirled again, but she refused to let it suck her in. Being sheriff wasn’t a clock-in, clock-out kind of job. Sometimes he got held up, and—

  “Lauralie, I love this place!” A woman’s voice cut through the din, and the next thing she knew, she was wrapped in a cloud of Pima cotton and custom-blended organic perfume. After a moment, Rebecca drew back and smiled at her. “Congratulations, honey.”

  “Thank you.” She expanded her smile to include Richard, and added, “Thanks for coming.”

  “Of course we came.”

  “I wasn’t sure…you know, with the brand and all, but, I have a surprise for you.”

  “A surprise, for us?”

  “Yep. Hold on. Don’t go anywhere.” She hurried to the other display case, grabbed two pink pastry boxes, and handed them to Booker’s parents.

  Rebecca’s eyebrows shot up. “What’s this?” she asked as she opened the box and stared at the decadent chocolate treat.

  “They’re grain-free, refined-sugar-free chocolate peppermint bars. I used the Best Life organic cocoa, and—”

  “And they’re wonderful,” Rebecca finished the sentence around a mouthful of chocolate. “I can’t believe you did this.”

  “I wanted to offer something for everyone. You should be able to treat yourself with a clean conscience. Right now I’ve only got a handful of items, but I’m hoping to expand if demand is good.”

  “Demand will be great, if this is anything to go by,” Richard said after swallowing his sample, and then hugged his wife. “Darling, this is the best idea you never had.”

  “Shhh. Don’t tell anyone I didn’t think of it. I have a reputation to uphold.”

  The rest of their conversation faded as the energy in the bakery changed. She couldn’t explain how exactly, but the air quickened, the molecules became supercharged. She turned and looked toward the front of the shop.

  Booker stood just inside the door, wearing his uniform—a sight always guaranteed to kick her pulse up a notch—and a hint of a smile. While she watched, he tipped his head toward the sidewalk. A silent message. Come with me.

  Before she could formulate a response, Chelsea put a hand on her shoulder and said, “Go on. Take a break. The team and I can handle things here.”

  …

  Booker watched Lauralie peel off her Babycakes apron and hand it to one of the girls behind the counter before making her way to the door. She stopped to accept some hugs and congratulations along the way, but finally came to a stop in front of him. A smile lifted the corner of her mouth. “Is there a problem, Sheriff?”

  Behind her, Aaron, Kate, Chelsea, and his parents sent him thumbs up. He refrained from rolling his eyes. Aaron couldn’t keep a fucking secret. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to step outside.”

  Her eyebrow lifted, but she shrugged and walked through the door he held open for her. When it clicked shut behind them, he turned and simply drank in the sight of her for a second. She couldn’t know how breathtaking she looked standing in the semicircle of light cast from the bakery, radiating with pride and happiness. He hated to dim it for even a second, but hoped by the time he finished saying the things that needed to be said, the radiant flush would be back—stronger than ever. “Congratulations, Jailbait. It looks like you’ve got a success on your hands.”

  Her smile softened. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  “Not true.” He shook his head and took her hand. “It might have taken you a little longer, but you would have done it. Sorry I’m late.”

  “No problem. Kate told me you got held up. Nothing serious, I hope.”

  “Just information. I got a call from one of my friends in the DA’s office in LA” He wove his fingers between hers. “Your mother plead guilty to trespassing, auto theft, and DUI in exchange for sixteen months in county.”

  Her hand stiffened. “I’ll mark my calendar.”

  “There’s no need. In or out, she ca
n’t hurt you. The people who care about you won’t let it happen. I won’t let it happen. You’re beyond her reach. I simply wanted you to know.”

  “All right.” The words came out on a measured exhale. Then she surprised him by going up onto her tiptoes. “Thanks for telling me.” Her lips brushed the corner of his mouth. “Thanks for having my back.” She kissed the other corner. “And thanks for reminding me I’m not alone.” She planted a kiss squarely on his lips. A long, slow, surrender of a kiss he felt himself sliding into. Before the invitation became too much to resist, he reluctantly eased away.

  “I thought you could use a better reminder.”

  “A better…what?” Her eyelids fluttered open and her brows knit with confusion.

  “A better reminder you’re not alone.” He took a step back, reached into his pocket, and cast an irritated glance at the faces pressed to the bakery window, watching them. “Even when you want to be.”

  Her breath hitched as he pulled out the ring. The blue diamond he’d chosen because it reminded him of her eyes gleamed in the low light.

  “Oh, my God, Booker. Do you know what you’re getting yourself into?”

  “Lauralie, I know exactly what I’m doing. After ten years, I know you inside and out. I know you dream big, and you work relentlessly to make those dreams a reality. I know you’ve got a hard head, and a smart mouth. I also know you’ve got a big, soft, reckless heart. And I need all of it. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you—”

  That’s as far as he got before she launched herself into his arms, and he had to stagger back a step to keep them on their feet. From the other side of the glass, hoots and applause erupted.

  “Yes,” she whispered between raining kisses in the general vicinity of his mouth. “I love you, too. I think I started to fall for you ten years ago when you marched me off that beach down there and called me on my bullshit. I needed that. I needed you. I’ve grown up since then, and I’ve changed a lot, but that part will never change. I need you. I spent a long time fighting the need because I thought it made me weak, but it doesn’t. It makes me strong. You make me strong.”

  People began spilling out onto the sidewalk, his mother in the lead. “Strong enough to handle my family, Jailbait?”

  “Strong enough to handle anything,” she promised, and kissed him with abandon as he slid their symbol of forever onto her finger.

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  Acknowledgments

  This book was a struggle to write. I’m not talking figuratively, I mean literally. I had a little pain in my neck that turned into a big pain in everyone’s ass, and I missed all my deadlines. Instead of telling me what a big, unreliable loser I was, the lovely people at Entangled offered me time and encouragement. Thank you to Liz, Curtis, and especially Heather. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your patience.

  Big additional thanks to:

  The rest of the Entangled team. Even if you hear it every day, it needs to be repeated. You are the best!

  The Romance Writers of America and the Los Angeles Romance Authors. They taught me everything I know about romance.

  The readers. You’ve made me a better writer. I try to bring it for you, every…single…time.

  To my family. You’ve made me a better woman.

  To Robin and Hayson. I’m not even going to try to be funny this time. I love you guys. (Insert mic drop here).

  About the Author

  Wine lover, sleep fanatic, and USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy contemporary romance novels, Samanthe Beck lives in Malibu, California, with her long-suffering but extremely adorable husband and their turbo-son. Throw in a furry ninja named Kitty and Bebe the trash talking Chihuahua and you get the whole, chaotic picture.

  When not dreaming up fun, fan-your-cheeks sexy ways to get her characters to happily-ever-after, she searches for the perfect cabernet to pair with Ambien.

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