But sitting around the dining room table with Blake’s family, well, it was the best gift anyone could have given her. The brothers gave each other a hard time, their mom butting in to tell them to behave. They were a proper family.
Her parents loved her and cared about her, but they didn’t understand the importance of having this kind of time together.
She wouldn’t make that mistake. Macy wanted it all. The family squabbles, the general silliness that came with hanging out with people who knew you better than you knew yourself—and the love.
A few hours later, she and Blake were in bed. Harley had passed out in the living room, and Blake’s mom and brother had gone to their hotel.
“I know I keep saying this, but I still can’t believe you are here.”
He put an arm around her shoulders and leaned over for a kiss. “Believe it,” he said and he kissed her again. Desire pooled in her belly. Yes, this was the way one should end the day.
His hand curved around her hip, and he drew her nearer. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her tight.
“This is home,” she said against his chest.
He kissed her mouth, her cheek, behind her ear. “Yes, that’s the way I feel. It doesn’t matter where we live, as long as we’re together.” He went back to kissing her lips.
“I’ve got to tell you something, Blake, so just listen, okay? You don’t have to say anything.”
Blake tensed.
“I mean it. Just listen to what I have to say.” She poked his chest as she glanced up at him. “I need to do this before I chicken out.”
“Okaaaay,” he said slowly.
She met his eyes. “I love you, Blake Michaels. And I want it all.”
As her words sunk in, a slow smile split across his face.
“That’s a good thing, since I love you and I want it all. In fact, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
“Wait.” She lifted her head. “What are you saying?”
He gave her a sheepish grin. “I’ve been making a lot of changes over the last few weeks. I wanted to tell you, but it wasn’t until a few days ago that I knew everything was going to fall into place the way I wanted it to. As long as you’re all right with what I’m about to ask.”
What was he talking about? What kind of changes? “You can ask me anything,” she said honestly.
“How would you feel about Harley and I moving here full-time?”
Uh, it would be a dream come true. She slugged his arm. “How do you think I’d feel?”
“Hey, no need for violence.” He rolled over and pulled her on top of him.
“I can’t believe you were making all these plans and didn’t tell me. I’ve been devising all these scenarios trying to figure out how I can split my time between here and Texas.” She sat up straighter, fully aware that he was hard as a rock underneath her.
“So you like the idea.”
She laughed. “Of course. It’s what I’ve wanted all along, but I didn’t feel right asking you to give up everything you had there to move here with me.”
“If you’d asked, I would have done it. But a couple of weeks ago when you were so sad, I realized I didn’t care if you wanted me to be here or not, you needed me. I’d do anything for you.” He took her wrist and brought her forward and kissed her.
“I want and need you,” she whispered, “more than you will ever know.”
“Trust me, I do know. I’ll have to go back and forth for a while. J.T. will help me out. I’ll be based here, though. And it’s good timing, too, for the security business my friends and I have. We’re thinking of expanding and opening an office here. Besides my financial duties, the guys want me to take charge of implementing the new ideas we’ve got going and do a forecast for a possible office here. It’s a lot, but as soon as I made the decision to be here with you, it all fell into place.”
She kissed him, lightly at first, and then she deepened the kiss, putting everything she had into it. “I’m so glad. And what about you know who?” she asked.
He twisted one of her curls around his finger. “You know who will be happy having us and her toys. At some point we should maybe consider trying to find a house outside the city, but there’s a great dog park not far from here. She loved it.”
“You really have thought of everything.”
Something was still making her nervous, and she realized it was because she was so happy.
“You don’t think it’s too soon for us to cohabitate?” he asked, his expression serious.
She shook her head. “You know it isn’t. Like you said, there may be some bumps along the way, but if you’re riding over them with me, we can cruise through life together.”
“That was a terrible metaphor.” He laughed.
“Yes. Yes, it was.”
“Have I mentioned how much I love you?”
She glanced at the nonexistent watch on her wrist. “It has been a good ten minutes since the last time. I was beginning to wonder.”
Growling, he reversed their positions.
She smiled, and put her hands on either side of his face to hold him close. “Show me, Blake,” she said, “show me how much you love me.”
Capturing her lips in a long and passionate kiss, he left her breathless. Just from the kiss alone she was ready for him.
“Not so fast, sweetheart,” he said as he nuzzled her neck. His mouth paid equal attention to each of her breasts. As he moved down, kissing all the way, she cried out. Having him here with her meant everything to her.
He caressed her, tempted her, touched her exactly as she wanted to be touched. He was amazing, so strong and also so tender.
Her orgasm was searing and swift. She felt it from her head to the tips of her toes. It made her shudder and call out his name.
“Now,” she said, shutting her eyes, anticipating him.
“No.” He teased her into yet another orgasm. This one robbed her of all control. “Blake, Blake...” she whispered.
He stroked her thighs, moving onto his knees. The intensity of passion in his gaze was enough to make her shudder again.
He entered her slowly, carefully, filling her, completing her.
“Yes,” she said, matching the intimate movement of his hips.
As they raced to the edge together and leaped, he kissed her thoroughly. Every bit of love he felt for her was in that kiss, and she returned it.
He was her marine, body and soul.
19
HARLEY BARKED AS Santa passed by the window. Blake’s mom clapped, and the woman wrapped in his arms laughed so hard he couldn’t help but smile. They were all in Macy’s office enjoying the parade.
J.T. shook his head in wonder. “How does she know it’s Santa?” he asked.
“Who knows? But she does have a thing for presents and toys,” Macy answered.
They laughed.
“Dear girl, that parade was too exquisite for words,” Blake’s mom said. “So much better in person and beyond anything I could imagine. I am surprised that even with all the snow on the sidewalks, so many people showed up.”
“Yes. It was fun and nice to be able to watch it here in my office where it’s warm and comfortable. More snow is expected later this afternoon. I’m just glad the skies cleared a bit so they could have the parade. It would have been awful if you came all this way to see it, and then it didn’t happen.”
His mother pulled her out of Blake’s arms and hugged her. “Macy, sweetie, we didn’t come for the parade. We came to see you. No one should be alone on Thanksgiving. I’ve had a few too many of those myself, and I didn’t want that for you.” She kissed Macy’s cheek. “Let’s roll, J.T., we’ll take Harley for a walk. You two be back at Macy’s place by one so we can eat.”
She paused in front of Blake and touched his hand. “It’s wonderful to see you so happy, son. It’s about time.”
He held his mom’s hand and squeezed. “Mom, you are the absolute best. I love you.”
“Love you, too, son. Don’t be late for dinner.” She followed J.T. and Harley out the door.
Blake sat on the edge of Macy’s desk. She pushed his legs apart and slipped in between them. He leaned toward her and she put her arms around his neck and kissed him.
“This has been on of the best days of my life and it’s still early.”
He held her close. “I agree. Are you sure you’re okay with my family invading your space unannounced?” He’d kept an eye on her throughout the morning. It was almost as if she were afraid of offending someone or saying the wrong thing. He didn’t want her to feel that way.
“Blake, I so appreciate what your mom and brother have done for me this Thanksgiving. It’s been great. I’ve never felt like—I was a part of a family. Years on my own, well, you know how it’s been. Now that I see what I’ve been missing out on, I want to make up for lost time. So there’s no invasion. I’m ecstatic that you and your family are here.”
He kissed her nose. “Good. Because my mom is very excited about shopping tomorrow. I was hoping I could count on you to handle that one.”
Macy laughed. “Always with the ulterior motives. I should have known. But if I’m going out in the wilds of Manhattan and facing all those shoppers, then seriously, you’re coming with us.” She tugged on his arm and they left her office.
“I had a feeling you’d say that.” At the elevator, he helped her on with her coat. He thought about that and all the other things in future that he would want to help her with. Big and small. He planned to spend the rest of his life loving this woman.
She was his everything.
One day he’d ask her to marry him, but not until he knew she was ready. The year ahead represented a lot of change for her. He’d be there for her. He wanted her to achieve her dreams. In fact, he couldn’t think of anywhere he’d rather be.
“Hey, Mr. Deep Thoughts. What’s going on in that brain of yours?” She was standing in the elevator, waiting for him.
No more living day to day, wondering if it might be his last. From now on he and Macy lived in a world of possibility.
“I’m thinking about the interesting things I can do with you after everyone leaves tonight.”
Her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink as she yanked him into the elevator. “Now that’s all I’m going to think about during dinner.”
He waggled his eyebrows. And then he kissed her.
This was only the start of a long and happy life together.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from DRIVING HER WILD by Meg Maguire.
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1
STEPH PAUSED AT THE BOTTOM of the steps, gym bag in hand, and gave the space a long study. Wilinski’s Fight Academy.
It wasn’t how she remembered it from her last visit, in November.
It looked like a bomb had exploded.
The cardio equipment and mats and the boxing and octagonal rings were crowded to one side, the other half overtaken by milling contractors and stacks of cinder block.
In the fighters’ corner—the sounds of gloves whacking and men grunting, the bass din of the hip-hop that fueled their drills.
In the workers’ corner—shouted questions and directions, the squeal of a band saw or sander from inside the space that would become a second locker room in a couple weeks’ time. A thick sheet of rubber flaps hung over the would-be door, but dust still escaped.
Sweat and concrete—the scents of laboring men.
Steph had sampled enough of each to last a lifetime. The next time she got close to a guy, she hoped to heck he smelled like a gentleman. Whatever gentlemen smelled like. Cedar, maybe, or citrus or leather, or that stuff from Hermès that she’d bought for her older brother one Christmas. Robbie had taken one sniff and made a face, so she’d snatched it back, promising to get him Bruins tickets instead. Now the bottle lived in her bedside drawer, and occasionally she spritzed it on her pillow and pretended it was evidence of her incredibly urbane boyfriend, out of town in Brussels, attending a convention for surgeons or dignitaries or CIA operatives—any job that came with really sophisticated Christmas parties, so she’d have an excuse to wear heels and curl her hair.
Someday. Somehow.
For now, here she was in a gym, construction dudes on one side, fighters on the other, a big old buffet of the kinds of guys she used to date. Perfectly nice ones, likely. Good, hardworking men like her dad and brothers and her friends and exes from Worcester. But she was in Boston to start a new chapter, one that might feature a boyfriend with soft, strong hands and a college degree and a knowledge of Scotch.
And one who wouldn’t be embarrassed to introduce her, saying, “And this is my girlfriend, Steph, the retired cage fighter.”
Yeah, good luck with that.
She toed off her sneakers and tucked them in one of the cubbies by the door. Giving the construction chaos a wide berth, she headed for the workout area, scanning for a familiar face. She found one, its owner busy leading a group in kickboxing drills.
Rich Estrada. She’d met him at a big event in Vancouver the previous spring, and she ought to sue him for emotional distress, for hoisting her hopes up to such dangerous heights.
The first time she’d laid eyes on him, he’d been dressed for a press thing, sauntering around in a suit. He didn’t have a fighter’s face—not yet—and she’d been intrigued. The kind of sophisticated guy she never crossed paths with. The event had been held at a huge casino, and she’d assumed he was some jet-set high roller visiting from the Riviera or someplace. She’d been in for a shock the next day when she glanced to her side and found him whacking a heavy bag in the gym. And when they’d spoken—that accent. He sounded like every guy she’d known growing up, dropping all his R’s and sticking extra ones where they didn’t belong. The most elegant man she’d ever seen, and he winds up being Boston disguised as Barcelona.
He called a water break now and she caught his eye, waving.
“Penny! Hey.”
She winced. She’d been fighting as Penny for ages, a nickname from when her baby brother hadn’t been able to pronounce “Stephanie.” It had stuck because her hair was red as copper, and she’d competed as Penny beginning with her preteen karate days. Since then it had followed her through her first true love, judo, then jujitsu, then on to mixed martial arts. It was time she put her foot down. Here and now she’d quit being the person everyone imagined she was, and start being who she wanted to be.
“I prefer Steph,” she reminded Rich.
“Sorry, I knew that. Steph. Welcome home.”
She looked around, nodding. “This’ll do.”
“Don’t say that. You’re here to help us hau
l this dungeon out of the dark ages. Make Wilinski’s into Bahstan’s premieh gym for mixed mahtial ahts,” he said, making fun of his own accent.
“I’d have thought that was your job, Mr. Celebrity.” She sighed, frowning her commiseration. “Sorry about Rio.” He’d lost his title to Vicente Farreira a couple months earlier in Brazil, under suspect circumstances. “If the organization doesn’t run a doping investigation on Farreira, they’re in for a shit-storm. Nobody’s build changes that much—not dropping down a weight class.”
Rich shrugged. “The controversy’s been good for me. Got a match in August with a payday that’ll keep me from bitching about pretty much anything. And months to prepare.”
“Nice.” Steph could appreciate how luxurious that must feel. The female side of MMA wasn’t nearly as popular, and with fewer major events, she’d often taken offers with less prep time than was ideal, not wanting to miss an opportunity. But now she was retired—from the stress of the road, if not the sport. At the moment she felt relieved, though she knew in time she’d probably miss the focus that came with a match on the horizon. Though not as much as she’d come to miss feeling grounded the past couple years.
She’d be thirty in less than three weeks, and was ready to start working toward goals that hadn’t mattered until recently—a place of her own, a taste of real dating, a relationship, a family down the road. Her aggressively autonomous twenty-three-year-old self would’ve laughed, but Steph apparently had a biological clock. And it had begun to tick, if softly. A rough loss and a stress fracture had officially cooled her commitment to the pro life. She’d managed to never break anything worse than her nose and a few toes all these years, and for the first time ever, she realized she might like to keep it that way.
Rich whistled to call the members back from their break. “Get in on this, if you want,” he told her.
Her Last Best Fling Page 17