The Boy on the Bridge
Page 64
In an attempt to keep my mind off Hunter’s business dealings with his troublesome friend, I curl up in the bed in my bathrobe and browse wedding cake designs.
That’s what I’m doing when the door opens and my handsome future husband comes strolling in.
He looks sexy as hell in a black button down and matching slacks. He’s wearing a burgundy sport coat because wherever he met Caleb was the kind of place that requires them.
“Hello, beautiful,” he says.
I smile at him. “Hello, handsome.”
Flicking a gaze at my robe as he takes his jacket off, he tells me, “You better be naked under there.”
“Of course I am,” I tell him. He may not be my “boss” due to blackmailing anymore, but I do like when he bosses me around a little bit about sexy things. “I’m in full-on wedding mode over here. I found our perfect cake. Wanna see?”
He nods, kicking off his shoes and crossing the room. He’s still wearing clothes when he climbs on the bed, but as soon as he’s near enough, he reaches over and unties the belt keeping my robe closed.
“See,” I say, showing him my phone.
The wedding cake design I’ve fallen in love with is, perhaps predictably, a tower of books. The bride and groom sit on top dangling their legs over the edge of the top book, and that reminds me of how our legs dangle when we sit on the bridge behind his house.
I think it’s perfect. I hope he agrees.
A smile grazes his lips as he looks at it. “Yep, that’s the one.” His hand slides under my robe so he can caress my breast.
My wedding planning interest swiftly disintegrates, replaced by a hastily growing interest in having sex with my fiancé.
I shove my phone away, lying back against the pillow as he teases my nipple.
“Um… how was your business meeting with Caleb?”
He smiles at my splintered focus and runs his thumb over my pebbled nipple again. “It went well. He sends his regards.”
“I bet he does,” I murmur.
Hunter smiles. “I know he’s not your favorite person, but he’s very good at making money.”
“He’s good at making trouble, too.”
“He is.” Hunter releases my breast and slides his hand around my waist, his amusement ebbing. “But that’s why he’s a much better friend to have than an enemy.” Tilting his beautiful head to kiss my neck as he tugs me closer, he murmurs, “It’s not so bad being his friend, is it? Eating at his restaurant when we’re in town, lazing around his family’s Hamptons house in the summertime…”
Sighing with pleasure, I tilt my neck to give him better access. “There are worse fates, I suppose.”
“I invited him to Milan for fashion week.”
“As long as he’s not flying there with us,” I say. “Your friends are too much trouble to spend much time alone with.”
Hunter smirks. “I won’t invite your buddy Sherlock to fly to Italy with us, how about that?”
My fingers tangle in his hair as he parts my robe and exposes more of my bare skin. “We should only ever go places with Mom and Ray, it would be more fun that way.”
“You can bring a book,” he promises as he kisses his way toward my breasts. “I’ll buy you a bunch of new ones for the trip.”
“I do like new books,” I say playfully as he drags the robe down my arms and peels it off me.
Hunter shifts our positions, rolling me onto my back. Now that I’m completely naked, he climbs on top of me.
Leaning down to kiss my breasts, he says, “And the plane has a bedroom. We can spend lots of time alone in there, no matter who is with us. I can give you lots and lots of orgasms.”
A shiver passes over me as he kisses his way lower, down my abdomen, past my hip bone… “I do like orgasms,” I say, a bit breathier.
Hunter moves between my legs, spreading my thighs and placing a soft, tender kiss to the inside of each one. Looking up at me, his eyes glinting with tenderness, he says, “And I do like you.”
I smile down at him, my heart filling up. Nonetheless, I tease, “You better love me, Hunter Maxwell.”
“Oh, I do,” he assures me.
“Yeah? How much?”
“Well, I could tell you, but…” With a devilish grin, he leans in and spreads me open. Right before his beautiful mouth reaches my pussy, he says, “How about I show you instead?”
Note from the Author
That’s all, folks! I hope you have enjoyed Hunter and Riley’s story! :) If you have, I also hope you’ll consider leaving a review—they don’t have to be long, just a few words about how you enjoyed the book and its characters would be immensely helpful, and immensely appreciated. <3
Hunter and Riley’s book is a complete standalone, but at the end of their story I did cross over into my Untouchable world. If you haven’t read that book and you’d like to read more of my work, that’s a very good place to go next. Riley’s friend Zoey is the heroine. Most of my books take place in the same universe, so occasionally my characters cross each other’s paths. For example, the potentially troublesome collector of secrets Caleb Grant is a friend of Carter Mahoney’s (the “hero” of Untouchable), and Caleb will have his own book, Unbeatable.
I’ll double down on recommending you read Carter’s book next if you were intrigued by Sherlock. They’re very different men, but they are somewhat similar hero types. Sherlock’s a better friend than Carter, but both men have pretty strong villain vibes and more apathy toward “right and wrong” than the average hero. In the vault of characters locked away in my brain, I think Sherlock and Carter must have been stored pretty close together.
If you like villains, you should also check out my Morelli family series—it contains some of those sexy mafia men Michelle was hoping to entertain at dinner, and my biggest troublemaker of all: Mateo Morelli. His story starts in Accidental Witness and runs through the whole series, so if you’re looking for a dark, twisty reading experience and a sexy villain with a penchant for mind games and mayhem, download that one and binge-read the whole completed series!
And if you’re looking for another angsty bully read with complicated family history, blackmail between conflicted, star-crossed lovers, and a whole lot of heart, you could also check out my oldest book, Because of You. It’s a duet, and that’s probably the last time I cried as many times as I did writing this one, lol.
Thank you for reading! Until next time. ♡
-Sam Mariano
Also by SAM MARIANO
Contemporary romance standalones
Untouchable
(bully romance)
The Imperfections
(forbidden romance)
Stitches
(MFM ménage romance)
How the Hitman Stole Christmas
(unconventional, a pinch of mafia)
Mistletoe Kisses
(student-teacher romance novella)
Coming-of-age, contemporary bully duet
Because of You
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After You
If you’re a series reader, be sure to check out her super binge-able Morelli family series! It’s dark and twisty mafia romance, and the first book is Accidental Witness
About the Author
Sam Mariano has a soft spot for the bad guys (in fiction, anyway). She loves to write edgy, twisty reads with complicated characters you’re left thinking about long after you turn the last page. Her favorite thing about indie publishing is the ability to play by your own rules! If she isn’t reading one of the thousands of books on her to-read list, writing her next book, or playing with her adorable daughter… actually, that’s about all she has time for these days.
Feel free to find Sam on Facebook (Sam Mariano’s General Reader Group), Goodreads, Twitter, or her blog—she loves hearing from readers! She’s also available on Instagram now @sammarianobooks, and you can sign up for her totally-not-spammy newsletter HERE
If you have the time and inclination to leave a review, how
ever short or long, she would greatly appreciate it! :)