Breaking His Rules

by Aliza Mann

  Ashton’s physical presence seemed to turn to a fine mist, slinking into and through my pores. He’d managed to consume me like no one else could. In that moment, I knew I truly belonged to him, and he to me, even if it was the scariest thing to ever happen to either of us.

  I’m not sure how long we lay there, but it could never have been enough. For I would never get enough of the man who loved me more than I thought I deserved.

  Epilogue

  Ashton

  Naturally, I began this story with me, so it ends with me. Not even a year after meeting Terra and her knocking me flat on my ass, she’d managed to change my entire world. It was a wonderful day, one where she found out that Marcus would get seven years in prison for extortion and another twenty for attempted murder. With any luck, he’d rot in the place. The best thing was probably that Terra was no longer splitting ownership of Club Ivy with Marcus. The very same judge had reverted full ownership of her LLC back to her and absolved any perceived debts to the defendant, one Marcus Dyland. Probably the sweetest words in the world, next to hearing Terra tell me she loved me.

  I watched as she danced with Gloria at Club Ivy. That evening, I’d learned that Gloria was half Cuban along with her African American heritage and thus the source of Terra’s abilities to mesmerize me with salsa and pachanga. They whirled, dresses flying behind them in bright reds and yellows, the same colors in the tablecloths and decorations for our engagement party. But Terra was incredible. She was positively the most gorgeous thing in the room.

  As I witnessed what was surely just a preview of our wedding night, I was thankful that Gloria and Gary, or GG as Terra and I fondly referred to them, had talked us into having an engagement party. All her employees, my coworkers—including Johnston—and our relatives came to see us. A distant cousin had flown over from England, and even my father came. He was trapped in a conversation with Aunt Sonja. He even spoke to her, which was progress.

  Terra and I found out he did have some cognitive issues that he was dealing with. No one is capable of walling themselves up into a cocoon of silence and escaping unscathed, it seems. But he was progressing, so that was good enough for me. Besides, Aunt Sonja, as she insisted I call her once Terra and I were engaged, talked enough for everyone. It seemed to add to her charm.

  A change in songs by the disc jockey brought Terra back to the table. Her smile, her hair in ringlets that flowed over her shoulders, and a dress of scarlet that had quickly become my favorite color, combined to utterly take the breath from my lungs. I loved her. More than I thought was possible.

  Taking her seat, she moved her chair closer to mine and laid her head on my shoulder. “How you holding up over here?” She was winded from the two consecutive songs she and her best friend had danced to.

  I kissed her on her forehead and slid my arm around her in her chair, shifting her body so she nearly lay on me. “I’m doing well. The food was wonderful, and I can’t thank you enough for the whiskey.”

  “Nothing’s too good for my Ash.” She laughed. “Even if you’re a whiskey snob.”

  “My father says I have some Irish ancestry. I don’t think that’s avoidable.”

  “Hmm…so we could have kids with red hair?”

  I scoffed and leaned out to look at her. “Kids? So…I just assumed…”

  “Calm down, Ashton.” She laughed once more, a light airy sound that I could listen to all night. “I meant if we ever decided to go down that path. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but when a woman is forty-two, kids are—”

  “We’ll cross that bridge should we come to it. I don’t know whether you’ve noticed, but I would go through anything with you. Even if it meant kids, dogs…Hell, even this rehearsal dinner.” I motioned to the walls. It was a melding of American and English pop culture littering the walls of Club Ivy. The idea was lovely, but I knew exactly where it had come from, even if neither Gloria nor Terra said it to me.

  “Awww. Keep it up. You’ll make me take you out of here for a good old-fashioned shagging.” Her wicked smile was back.

  “Oh no, I’ve created a monster,” I said. I leaned over and kissed her, pulling the glorious body and spirit I’d come to adore as close to me as I could while maintaining the least possible amount of decorum in front of our respective family members.

  I moved my hand to her thigh beneath the table and up to the hem of her flouncy dress. The whole combination had nearly driven me mad. Our wedding was in just a short few days, and while I was going insane with the details, I had never seen Terra happier. She opened up to me—her heart, her thoughts, fears…everything.

  A strong hand on my shoulder made me break the kiss I was rather enjoying. We both looked up to find Gary, and I tried to hide my irritation. “It’s time for toasts, Ash. C’mon, man.” He was smiling, even if both of us had been wrong about being in love. Slowly our conversations had changed. Banter about women and their shoes, their worries over things that didn’t even occur to us to think of and their ability to make our lives overwhelmingly better had replaced our old habits and, as sad as it was, our ignorance of what love was. I knew what it meant to find your life mate now. I had a suspicion that Gary had, too, even if he and Gloria weren’t on the same timeline as Terra and me. It was enough, though, to see the two of them happy.

  “Oh, man, you and Gloria made them earlier. I don’t love talking to large groups of people,” I scolded with a smirk.

  “It’s nearly the end of the night. You and Terra have to say thank you to the people who came out. I’m just glad it’s almost over so you and Terra don’t end up tearing each other’s clothes off. Sheesh, you act like teenagers.”

  Terra barked out a laugh and I narrowed my eyes at Gary. “You, sir, have no room to talk.”

  “Just make the speech so we can get everyone out of here. Your Aunt Sonja told you already it was her bedtime and I don’t think she’s kidding. We’d better get moving.”

  I glanced at my watch. Ten thirty on a Friday night was rather early, but I did need to take my father back to the home soon. “All right, Gary. Shit, you’re persuasive. Ever think about a career in sales?”

  Gary’s mouth quirked at my horrible joke and he pulled at my arm. “Just come on, man. Then we’ll let you get back to your night. Please and thank you.”

  “Fine,” I said. I gave Terra a quick kiss on the mouth and took her hand. If I had to do it, she needed to be up there. There were things that I needed to say to everyone, and more important, to her in front of the entire world.

  Gary grabbed the mic from the DJ and slowly the music faded out behind him, drawing everyone’s attention to the three of us standing in the middle of Club Ivy’s dance floor. “Hi again, everyone. We couldn’t let the evening get away without hearing from the future Mr. and Mrs. Lyle. I know I already gave a speech earlier, but I’d like to add to that by saying these two souls belong together. Ash was a little different before Terra walked into his life. And for that, Ms. Ellis, the world thanks you,” he said.

  Laughter and applause echoed around the room. I would have punched him in the jaw if the tosser hadn’t been right about what he’d said. I gave a wave and smiled, pulling Terra forward to stand at my side. I leaned down for another of her kisses before taking the mic from Gary and giving him a slap on the back.

  “Hi everyone. I would like to start off by apologizing for my best man, Gary. He’s completely off his maintenance medications, so whatever he may have said or done, please forgive him.” Another round of laughter forced me to stop talking for a moment. I turned to Gary and gave him a wink. “But seriously, thank you all for coming out tonight and celebrating with me and my lovely future wife. I couldn’t be more happy, more proud that she has decided to become my leading lady. I guess I should tell you, I’d stupidly believed my life was set. That I had everything I wanted, everything I needed…or so I thought. That is until this beautiful l
ady punched me in the nose.”

  More laughter, and I pulled Terra close to me, the heat radiating off her because she was undoubtedly blushing, which I loved making her do. “After she nursed me back to health, I realized that the blow to the head must have cleared up my vision, my way of thinking. After that, everything I thought I wanted wasn’t good enough. Everything I had previously needed meant nothing. Terra Elizabeth Ellis had opened my world and become my sun. As if I’d been holding my breath for my entire life, I could breathe for the very first time, as if she were my oxygen. I am so grateful every day that she nearly knocked me out that day, because had she not done so, I never would have lived. Terra, I love you with every beat of my heart, more and more with each passing day. Thank you for coming into my life and showing me what love is.”

  To the thunderous applause from everyone in the room, I leaned down and kissed her, so deeply and fully that I felt a hitch in her breathing. When I released the kiss, still holding on to her as if my life depended on it, I glanced around the room and found my father. He was standing at his table and smiling at me with what I thought resembled pride and happiness. It was the first time since my mother died that he had showed up to support me. Regardless of the things that happened in the past, I actually looked forward to my new life—one where the days had more meaning, the nights were sweeter, and where the rules didn’t matter at all.

  For you—

  I give my love, my soul, my all.

  For without you, there is no me.

  Acknowledgments

  I would like to thank so many people for their endless support of my work and goals.

  To my family—you guys have always been there to listen to my wildest stories. And there have been some real hijinks related to each one of them. It seems I never get to properly thank you for all the years when you dared me to dream big. So I thank you now with all my heart.

  To MK Schiller and Sage Spelling, thank you for your plotting capabilities and for always telling me like it is, especially when it’s for my own good. I heart you so hard, ladies.

  To Team Smutastik (shout-out to Heather and Shelly)—always know that I love each of you. It seems as if we found one another at the same time that we found the confidence to proceed on our writing journeys. I will never forget the conferences, the Panera sessions, and the endless group chat messages that made me laugh at my lowest points and allowed me to cry at my highest.

  To my Win, Love, or Draw conference ladies—you rock! I can’t imagine conferences without you. Hope I never have to!

  JoDeen—I appreciate you for keeping me on track when I’m way off. That job is probably one of the hardest in the world, but you do it with such a great flair.

  To Sara, my wonderful agent, who believed when it seemed like no one did. For the Friday “Hey, just checking in to tell you all is well” messages, you are the very best at what you do. Thank you for the friendship you are always willing to give.

  To everyone at Team Loveswept—I mean, wow. You’ve given so much and helped me bring my baby into the world. Thank you to Sue and everyone who worked with me on this book. You are all the tops.

  To my GDRWA chapter mates—I wouldn’t be anywhere were it not for your resources and willingness to share. Thank you so very much.

  BY ALIZA MANN

  Breaking His Rules

  Other Books

  Dark Hearts

  Fury Rising

  A Soul Mate for Christmas: Stellar Hearts (novella)

  PHOTO: RITCHIE HARRISON

  Ever since she was a small child, ALIZA MANN loved to tell stories. It started in the backyard of her family’s home where she shared them with the neighborhood kids. Through the years she read anything she could get her hands on. In high school she found her love for romance. From the moment she opened the cover of a historical romance page-turner, she found herself hooked.

  Actively employed, she balances her love of writing a great story between two pseudo-adult children, a fabulous son-in-law, and the man of her dreams. A true book nerd, she is almost always reading and writing the world in a way that shows its true beauty, served with a heaping side of happily ever after. Aliza is also active in Romance Writers of America and Greater Detroit Romance Writers of America organizations.

  Facebook.com/​AlizaMannAuthor

  Twitter: @AlizaMannAuthor

  Instagram: @alizamann

  Email: info@alizamannauthor.com

  Read on for an excerpt from

  Illegally Yours

  A Laws of Attraction Novel

  by Kate Meader

  Available from Loveswept

  Chapter 1

  Lucas

  Remember that song by Queen with the banging bass riff? Dindin-din-din-din, Another one bites the dust…This is my life right now. I’m at the Library, a tasty little spot in the basement of the Gilt Bar, giving one of the crew a righteous send-off. James Henderson is a friend, and the brother of Max, a partner in our familys’ law firm, Wright, Lincoln, and Henderson. He’s getting married in a couple of weeks, and to say it’s been a whirlwind is an understatement. I suspect his fiancée’s knocked up, but Jimbo’s keeping mum.

  Max has set up a whiskey tasting for the stag party. I’m more of an ale drinker, but I like to know all there is to know about everything, so I’m up for learning how to tell the difference between this glass of yellow shit and that glass of yellow shit.

  “So, what time do the strippers get here, mate?” I ask with my cheekiest grin.

  Max flashes his perfect American teeth. “Get a couple of drinks in you and the stage is yours, Wright.”

  Up on my feet, I shake my most excellent arse. “I’ll fucking do it, too!”

  This makes the rest of them laugh, but turning to sit, I find a black woman staring at me like I’m an idiot. More important, this woman is wearing a bloody catsuit.

  It clings to every curve—and she’s got a lot of ’em—and covers up all the body parts I’d usually be assessing. This cover-up is sexier than if she were naked.

  The only parts I can see are:

  1. Feet in strappy sandals that show a tease of skin and purple painted toes. This bodes well because purple denotes royalty (think the late, great Prince) as well as wisdom, dignity, independence, creativity, mystery, and magic.

  2. Arms that look toned and strong, one with a tattoo of some Asian symbol.

  3. Her face. Duh. Did you think she was wearing a mask like Catwoman?

  The suit is zipped up to her chin, but above her jawline is the best part: a face that launched a thousand ships.

  Or hard-ons.

  Okay, my hard-on.

  It’s more striking than pretty, this face. Regal, even. Big eyes with melted chocolate drops for irises. Cheekbones that almost rival mine. Warm brown skin with golden undertones. A sparkling stud in her nose that tells me she likes to go against the grain. And her hair…there’s tons of it, a mahogany wave ribboned with copper and red. I could go on, but she’s quickly recovered from the sight of my booty shake and is now passing out sheets of paper.

  “Hi, guys, I’m Trinity. Welcome to the Library and to your whiskey tasting.”

  Everyone returns her greeting and I hate them all for daring to talk to her. Her voice has a natural rasp, sexy as fuck. I try to catch her attention with one of my dazzling smiles, but she’s already slinked off, gliding on ball bearings, to get the first round of drinks in.

  I track her moves, jealous of every interaction she has with other members of the rotten human race. I consider myself an excellent judge of character and I’m especially conscious of the vibes we put out into the world. People respond well to Trinity’s energy. A quick smile and pat on the arm for a customer in her path, a wave at someone who has just walked in, a familiar shoulder nudge to one of her (
male) coworkers behind the bar.

  “Other people first”—that’s the vibe I’m getting from Trinity. What impression did I make on her, I wonder? According to Chicago magazine, I’m a “Chi-Town Hottie on the Rise”—it wasn’t called that, but it may as well have been—aka, one of the city’s best and brightest divorce attorneys. (And still single, ladies!) I tend to get pegged on sight as the cheeky upstart. The good-time Brit. I find it useful to let people make a call and then, boom! I crush those assumptions with a quote from Rilke or the like. No flies on me.

  Back in our orbit, Trinity places a tray of glasses with a finger of whiskey in each on the table.

  “The first thing you want to do is check the color,” she says. “Turn your tasting chart over to the blank side and hold the whiskey against it. You could be looking at pale gold, straw, amber—”

  “Piss,” I interject, because apparently I have verbal diarrhea. Everyone glares at me, so I class it up with its scientific term, “Sorry, your-ine.”

  Trinity’s lovely dark eyes narrow ever so slightly, and she announces, “That’s not a standardized color.”

  “Sorry, we can’t take him anywhere.” So says James, the groom-to-be, though he’s barely containing his laughter.

  “How’d you get to be a whiskey expert, Trinity?” I ask her, needing to establish a connection.

  “Years of training. Next, you’ll want to assess its clarity and viscosity…”

  Summarily dismissed, I follow the instructions. Of course, I have an opinion on everything. My so-called friends should tell me to shut up, but it’s like a fire hydrant of inanity has been wrenched open and I’m incapable of closing it.

  Here’s how I fill out the sheet, accompanying commentary for free.