by KB Winters
I’d asked Rick if he’d heard from him, and he hadn’t. I couldn’t push too much for answers or ask for his number without setting off his big brother alarm system. Seriously, if Rick ever found out about Steven and me, he’d flip his shit, but at least our relationship made sense. His fixation with Vanessa, his prissy princess of a bitch-wife was beyond me.
“Rubes?”
“Hmm?”
“Can you turn around?”
My stomach flip-flopped at the sound in his voice but I forced myself to do as he asked. I kept my back pressed against the counter and met his eyes as he moved closer. He looked even sexier than when he first walked up the driveway earlier. If that was somehow possible. His face had a full days’ worth of stubble on it and I found myself wondering what that would feel like on the insides of my thighs. My cheeks went hot just at the passing thought.
“Are you all right?” Steven asked, his voice sure and confident. The exact opposite of the way my inside’s felt.
“Uh-huh. Why?”
He arched a thick brow at me. “Something’s up. Come on, tell me what’s wrong.”
I sighed. “Really? All right, fine. I’m a little…confused.”
“About?”
“Steven. Come on. Don’t make me spell it out for you. We…well, you know. You were there—”
He laughed and shook his head. I held my breath as he started toward me, his steps calculated and slow as he crossed the kitchen. His cologne reached me before he did, the subtle sandalwood and citrus notes hitting me the moment before he wrapped his arms around my waist. “What if I want to hear you say it?”
“That we…hooked up?”
He smiled and traced a finger along the side of my face. “Be honest, Rubes. It was more than hooking up. We don’t have to pretend it was some fling.”
I drew in my lower lip and nibbled it nervously. “I don’t know what it was, Steven. But I do know that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”
Steven’s finger moved to my mouth and I released my lower lip so he could graze his fingertip over it. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you, either. I know Rick would probably kill me for saying this, but I’m falling for you, Ruby. There was something about that whole day. It just felt right. And I’ve never had that kind of a feeling before.”
“Me neither,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.
He brought his lips to mine and kissed me. My arms wrapped around his shoulders and I clung to him for dear life, never wanting the moment to be over.
When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against mine, staring down into my eyes. “In the past, I’ve never been open to falling in love or finding someone to settle down with. It wasn’t that I didn’t want those things, but I didn’t want to put someone through the life of being with a SEAL. It’s not easy—by any means.
When I got that phone call the other night, it was over that clusterfuck that was just aired on CNN.”
“And…? That made you leave for days on end?”
“Well, there are parts about me that I can never share with you, Rubes. It’s not because I don’t trust you, or I don’t want to, but what I do is truly Top Secret stuff. Hell, they don’t even tell me what I’m doing most of the time. I’m just a tool they pull out of their bag of tricks to get the job done.
“But, being with you, it was almost like it wasn’t an option. I had to find a way to make it work because I want to be with you.”
My heart palpitated at Steven’s words.
“Ruby, I know you have a lot going on right now. A lot to figure out. I don’t want to sway you any way or the other, but I’m going to be in San Diego, permanently, at least for the next two years. I’ve taken a teaching assignment, so wherever you end up, I’ll be just a plane ride away. We can figure—” I grinned up at him and he faltered, cutting his sentence short. “What? Am I making an asshole out of myself here?”
I laughed. “No. Not at all!”
“Then why do I feel like I’m missing some inside joke?”
I smiled. “Because I just got an unofficial job offer today. It’s with an investment firm in…San Diego.”
His mouth dropped open. “What? Are you serious?”
I nodded, still smiling. “I’ll go in for the interview next week, after Christmas, but from what the email said, the job is mine if I want it. The hiring manager used to work with my boss from New York.”
“That’s incredible!”
“It’s perfect timing. I was about two days away from having a full-on freak out.”
Steven chuckled and kissed me again. “Not a bad location either. What made you apply for a job in San Diego?”
I nibbled my lip. “Well…you. After being with you the other night, I realized I didn’t want to go back to New York and be miserable. I’ve been there for six months and haven’t even found a fraction of the happiness that I had here, with you. I didn’t know what you were thinking, but something in my gut told me it was a risk worth taking.”
“Then we just have one problem…”
“What’s that?”
“Figuring out who has to break it to Rick that his best friend and his little sister are fucking.”
I laughed. “Fucking?”
“Fucking.” He pulled me closer, searing my lips with a hot kiss. “Kissing.” Mmmm…his lips trailed down my neck. The man had me at hello. “Falling…in love…with…you.”
“Mmmm…flip a coin?” I panted. “Rock, paper, scissors?”
Steven’s eyes sparkled. “I’d suggest something a little more active. Maybe a wrestling match…”
“You’re on, Maxwell.”
He grabbed me by my ass, pulled me in tight and crushed his lips onto mine again. “Hey, that’s not fair!” I teased when we broke apart. We both fell to the floor in a playful wrestling-slash-tickling match that quickly changed into a raging inferno of uncontrollable hormones.
“Damn! It’s hot in here!” I said as I sat up in front of the fake roaring fire. Yes, we had the obligatory fake fireplace. It was eighty-five degrees outside two days before Christmas and the only real fire we had going on was between our legs.
“You’re hot baby. It’s all you.”
“We should at least go to my room. What if Mom and Dad come home early?”
“You’re right. We should.” He stood up and we both looked at the outline of his cock, straining his pants. “I’m about to bust out of these sacred buttons.”
We hurried upstairs, taking care not to fall on top of each other, and the second the bedroom door was closed, Steven had me in his arms again, frantically pulling my blouse off and dropping it on the floor. He pulled off his naval uniform top and tossed it as well.
With our tongues entwined, my hand flew to the zipper on his pants and — “What the hell?” I pulled back and looked down at his pants. “What’s the deal with these buttons?”
“Pretty sexy, huh, Rubes?” He waggled his eyebrows and looked down at the front of his pants. “These thirteen buttons are a tradition in the Navy of sorts. There is a deal going on to phase out the buttons with zippers, but most of the old-school guys want to keep things the way they are.”
“And…you like this?”
“I’m a Sailor, babe. Tradition.”
His explanation only made me want to dive into his fancy pants even more. I crawled over to him on my knees, and with slow precision I started on the thirteen buttons on his pants. Counting out each one.
“One…Two…Three…”
“You’re killing me, babe.” He reached down and unfastened the rest of them and released his big beautiful cock.
“Oh my God, Steven. You’re so perfect.”
My lips quickly found the tip, and with an overwhelming urge and hunger, I sucked more and more of him into my mouth. Steven’s hands went to my head and tangled up in my hair. He moaned a little, trying to maintain his composer, but it was clear who was in charge.
I grabbed a hold of his ass with both h
ands and pulled him even further into my mouth. He was mine—all mine.
Steven’s legs starting to shake as he pulled my hair and growled out, “I want to fuck you so bad, baby. I’ve never wanted someone the way I want you right now, Rubes.” He pulled his cock out of my mouth and before I could even catch my breath he was on me, kissing me hard as we worked together to remove my jeans.
He stopped abruptly and a smile slid across my face. He was staring at my soaked silky white panties with little Santa Clauses on them that say, Ho, Ho, Ho.
“Very sexy.” He teased.
“Just like the buttons, lover.” I squirmed and slid them down my legs, tossing them to the side of us on the bed.
“I’m going to fuck you so good, baby,” he growled out as he moved on top of me. “Ruby…”
I scratched my nails down his smooth, muscular back until I could grip his ass. “Can’t wait.” When the tip of his cock met my hungry pussy, I pulled hard.
He resisted, causing me to whimper. “Let me do this. Let me please you.” Slowly, inch by glorious inch he pushed inside of me, burying his hands in my hair and tugging my head to one side to devour the sweet spot on my neck.
“So good, baby.” He moaned, as I felt his hot breath against me. “Mmmm… you’re good for me Rubes.”
“Your good for me, too.” I replied, my pussy clenching around him.
“I love seeing you like this.” His thrusting slowed a little as he gazed down at me. “I want to put that look on your face every fucking day and night.”
“What look?” I moaned out.
“Sheer pleasure...” Steven leaned down and crushed my lips to his, his weight pressing into me as I arched up to meet his hips.
That was my undoing.
“Oh Fuck! I’m gonna fucking co—” I exhaled out as my body rocked and spasmed against him. Steven pushed in hard, a series of short jabs and I couldn’t make out his throaty moans and he came, deep and hard inside me.
* * * *
After about an hour laying there, dozing and teasing each other with our fingertips, Steven sat up, twirling my wet Santa panties on his finger. “Almost forgot. Damn!”
I reached over to grab my underwear. “Give me those!”
“You should thank your Santa panties.”
“Thank they for what?”
“You’ll see. They reminded me of something.” Steven stood up, stark naked and walked over to the green bag he’d carried in and pulled out a small red box with a beautiful bow. His face lit up as he approached and handed me the perfectly wrapped gift.
“Merry Christmas, Ruby.”
My eyes went from him to his naked cock, and then the box. I wasn’t one to turn down a present—or a naked cock, for that matter, and temptation finally got the better of me. I carefully unwrapped the box, wondering what in the world he’d bought for me.
Is it a ring already? What do I say? I’m not ready for this!
No, it wasn’t a ring. Inside the box was the most beautiful bracelet I’d ever seen. It was sparkling with diamonds and little gold seals hanging from between the diamonds. “Steven, I… I… I don’t know what to say. This is so beautiful.”
He gently took the bracelet from my hand and placed it around my wrist. “I can’t take much credit for picking it out. It was kinda just placed in front of me.
“I think it’s perfect. Wow. I’m actually shocked that someone with such poor taste in clothes could pick out something so beautiful.”
With a puzzled look on his face, he looked down at me. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”
I raised my eyes from the bracelet. “Steven. Seriously? Did you see yourself in those golf pants?”
The horrified look on his face turned into a huge smile, followed by a kiss that nearly made me pass out. I locked eyes with Steven and the look in his eyes melted every wall I’d ever put up. None of those things mattered anymore. Not even Rick. We’d tell him together.
I wanted Steven.
All of him.
And by the look in his eyes, I knew he wanted me too.
* * * *
~ T H E E N D ~
I hope you loved Max and Ruby in Unwrapped!
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Acknowledgements
Thank you! I love you all and thank you for making my books a success!! I appreciate each and every one of you.
Thanks to all of my beta readers, street teamers, ARC readers and Facebook fans. Y’all are THE BEST!
And a huge very special thanks to my wonderful PA, Silla. Without you, I’d be a *hot mess! I’m still a hot mess, but without your keen sense of organization and skills, I’d be a burny fiery inferno of hot mess!! Thank you!
And a very special thanks to my editor, Tina Rucci (who sometimes has to work all through the night! *See HOT MESS above!) Thank you for making my words make sense.
Copyright © 2016 BookBoyfriends Publishing LLC
About The Author
KB Winters has an addiction to caffeine, tattoos and hard-bodied alpha males. The men in her books are very sexy, protective and sometimes bossy, her ladies are…well…bossier!
Living in sunny Southern California, the embarrassingly hopeless romantic writes every chance she gets!
You can connect with KB on Facebook and Twitter!
Or stop by her website at KBWinters.com!
Northern Lights
A Novel
By
KB Winters and Evie Monroe
Copyright © 2016 BookBoyfriends Publishing LLC
Published By: BookBoyfriends Publishing LLC
Copyright and Disclaimer
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination and have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 BookBoyfriends Publishing LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. 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 the trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
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Chapter One
“Taylor.”
I sighed as the sound of my mother calling my name echoed th
rough the halls. No matter how loud I had my music, her voice always penetrated like a knife gliding through butter.
“Taylor!”
On second thought, make that like a knife stabbing directly into my brain. I put my head in my hands being mindful of the makeup I’d carefully applied to my face. With a sigh I looked up, catching my own doe-like sapphire blue gaze in the vanity mirror in front of me. Anyone looking at me would probably assume I had everything together for myself. My blonde hair was styled into gentle waves with not a hair out of place. The highlights that were routinely put in my hair every six weeks caught the light and my milky white skin was blemish free, thanks to years of avoiding too much sun exposure and having regular maintenance. All in all, I knew my visage screamed money and privilege, and anyone assuming that wouldn’t be wrong.
“There you are.”
I blinked slowly before turning to look at my mother. She stood in the doorway of my room with her hands on her hips. Anyone who looked at her and then at me would know instantly we were related. My friends often joked about me being my mother’s clone, and I’d always laughed along with them—even though I was dying inside.
Where my blue eyes were dull, hers were now blazing with annoyance and anxiety. The annoyance I was sure was for me. It was often the most present emotion in my mother’s eyes when she’d look at me and had been for as long as I could remember. My relationship with my mother was one I’d struggled with for a long time.
Like any other girl, I’d always desperately sought out her approval, though I usually failed. Still, I had trouble brushing off the feelings of guilt I had—I’d never quite measured up to her expectations. The anxiety was a new emotion, although I was sure she could see it reflected in my own eyes, thanks to the uncertainty of our future.
At fifty-two, Beatrice Vanderfelt was a new widow thanks to the sudden and recent death of my father. Had it been caused by some natural cause, I’m sure her anxiety wouldn’t have been as pronounced as it was. Unfortunately, my late father’s death was a suicide brought on by an impending bankruptcy. I didn’t know exact details, but suffice to say my mother and I were now situated firmly in the middle class—a shock for me to be sure, but an even bigger dip for my mother. While I had always—in a way—longed to see how the other half lived, my mother was the opposite. She’d grown up in a poor family with a school teacher mother and blue-collar worker father. My mother probably figured she’d won the lottery when her good looks and charm attracted my father back in high school. His family had started a business that elevated their financial position and secured my mother as never needing to work another day in her life.