The Running Series Box Set: Books 1-3

by DeLaine Roberts

  We went back to my apartment, so I could make sure all of my things were collected. The movers did an exceptional job and cleaned the room spotlessly for Monica, even shampooing the carpet, after they put my furniture in the complex storage locker. It looked as though I had never been there.

  I sent Monica a text to let her know the coast was all clear for her to move in. Cooper had already provided the extra key for her.

  Grayson closed the door behind us and turned me to face him. “I’ll never forget this place. It’s where I fell in love with you!” He kissed me, leaving his lips to linger on mine.

  “That’s the sweetest thing to say. I won’t forget this place either; it had such special memories for me. I love you so much.” I stroked his scruffy chin with my finger. Our eyes danced a lyrical love song.

  We strolled hand-in-hand to our place, as he called it. When Grayson opened the door for me, I saw rose petals all along the floor. A huge arrangement of roses sat on the coffee table. He led me to the sofa and handed me a card. It wasn’t just a normal florist card; it was a card he had picked out. The inscription was lovely and he had signed it, “Welcome home.”

  “How do you know the perfect thing to say and do? What did I ever do to deserve your love?”

  “Don’t you know the answer to that? You gave me your heart, and when you were ready, you trusted me with your body and soul. What did I ever do to deserve that?”

  “I couldn’t ask for anything more perfect. I love you!” I kissed him passionately before he finally pulled away. I wasn’t sure why he’d backed away.

  “I didn’t realize having you here for this next week was going to torment me. I want you so badly right now it hurts. Literally! Let’s go check out your clothes and your precious shoes and make sure everything arrived to your liking!” He ripped me up off the sofa and half-dragged me to the bedroom.

  Most of the closet space was for me! He had moved some of his things to the coat closet by the front door, so all of my things would fit in one space. He even gave up the drawer space in the bathroom for me. My shampoo and everything was there, just like at my place.

  “I even have your favorite coffee cup on my bar! I hope everything is just the way you like it.”

  “Oh, honey, it is perfect! I don’t know why I try to argue with you.”

  “Gotta be the red hair. I can’t come up with any other excuse for you.” He twisted a loose curl between his thumb and finger. His eyes danced with mine for a moment, then escorted me back to the kitchen where he opened a bottle of champagne that had been chilling for the occasion. He’d truly thought of everything for the perfect night.

  I swept my arms around his neck and plowed my fingers through his hair. I proceeded to tease him, biting his neck and jaw. I found his rosy, full lips and nibbled them between my teeth. I became more aggressive with my planned seduction. “Hmm, I don’t want to wait until our honeymoon. What does it take for a girl to get lucky around here?”

  “We’re waiting, although you’re driving me nuts right now. I’ve got some other tricks though, wanna see?” he teased me. No, make that tortured me.

  “And I’ve got plenty of hot water, and we can be as noisy as we want.”

  We started laughing, as I remembered Cooper complaining ages ago that we used all the hot water and were much too noisy.

  Grayson carried me to the bathroom and started the shower. He was no longer laughing, his eyes were a deep sapphire blue and his gaze into mine was the start of his seduction.

  His shower was different from the one in my apartment; his had this perfect little bench seat. That, along with the warm water and steam, was a sweet environment for what we both needed to relax.

  I so loved the manly smell of his body wash. I applied it to the pouf and washed his back while I massaged him. He was caught a bit off guard when I sat down on the seat and brought his stiff shaft to my lips. He gripped the sides of the shower as I pleasured him until he moaned my name.

  I kissed the hairline that trailed from his navel. He became hard again, and he pulled me up, taking his turn sitting on the bench.

  I propped my knees on either side of him and leaned back, bracing with my arms on the other side of the shower.

  His fingers applied pressure in all the right places. I felt my body tingle, just on the verge of a huge quaking orgasm. He kept me there on the imaginary sexual cliff for far too long.

  I began to feel weak, tight on the edge of seduction, close to losing balance. “Please, I’m begging. I’m on the edge of coming…”

  He met my needs, causing my body to explode in a rift of tingles all over. My toes curled so tightly I got a cramp in my leg. My moan became a scream with both pain and laugher, needing to shift positions and unable to move.

  He started to laugh with me. “That good, huh?”

  For me, it was part laughing, part crying. When the tension in my body began to ease, I slumped down into his lap. Soon, our passion became serious again. While holding his head to my chest, I realized from that moment on it was just us. We were no longer dating, we were about to be married. I felt cherished by the man I loved.

  In bed, tangled together, we were just too comfortable. We listened to music and chatted away. We recounted all the events that had led up to this night in the last few months. Most couples hadn’t experienced all we had, but we both agreed we were ready for the next chapter in our lives. I admitted to him that the thought of the flight down to Bora Bora gave me a bit of anxiety. He assured me that the security detail was covered, and there was medicine to help me if I needed it.

  We talked into the wee hours of the morning. When his breathing slowed to a steady rhythm and he had started answering me with hmms, I knew he had drifted off. Our life as a couple had been far from perfect, but our love for each other and the place we were in at that moment was flawless. I snuggled in his arms and finally drifted off to sleep.

  A startling noise brought me out of my deep sleep. I quickly realized it was his phone ringing over the intercom. We both jumped at the second ring.

  It was the hospital calling about one of his patients, so he had to go in to work. I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I decided to go for a run.

  Outside, I found the air cool and crisp in the fall morning. It was early, but there were several people out running or strolling with their dogs. Although a busy area, there was something peaceful about it.

  I had lost my stamina over the last few months and had to stop several times to pace myself, which gave me time to think about Dad’s offer to work for him at Morrison Industries. There were lots of options I had to weigh out.

  The thought of working with my dad after all this time warmed my heart. We’d both agreed that if it wasn’t going to work out, he would consider selling the company. On the other hand, PMC had been so patient with everything that had taken place with me over the last six months and believed in me enough to offer me the promotion.

  It was a hard decision. I had wanted to earn my stripes and going to Morrison Industries would’ve immediately labeled me as the boss’s daughter.

  When I’d tried talking to Grayson about it, he’d refused to weigh-in, since he wanted it to be completely my decision. In fact, he only mentioned it once, but his answer was for me not to work at all.

  After a lot of thought, I realized what I wanted to do and knew I had Grayson’s support. I would choose family, my family. I decided to work with my dad and make him proud.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Grayson held my hand on the way to the airport. I felt his heartbeat thumping under my finger while we listened to music on the drive. It was a strange kind of quiet.

  Without warning, he pulled the car over and parked. He pulled our faces nose-to-nose. “I love you, Alexandra. More than the breath that keeps me alive. I’ve shared you long enough with everyone else, and I’m not ready to share you for the next few days! Promise me the festivities won’t take away from our time. Just you and me. Promise me?” His eyes searched mine
. I saw the specks of jealousy and realized his need.

  “I promise. I love you, too. Nothing matters if you aren’t beside me. Nothing. Sure, there’ll be some festivities, but I swear this week is about us. I’m capable of saying no to everyone when it comes to getting our private time.” I kissed my finger and then touched his lips.

  He grabbed my hand gently and opened it, kissing the palm before kissing my fingers and engagement ring, lingering for a moment.

  It was then I sensed what he wasn’t saying. Did he think I would use the festivities with family to avoid intimacy with him? Well, I certainly planned to show him differently.

  “Just wait till you see what I’ve planned for our honeymoon.” He teased me.

  “Well, two can play that game.” I teased him back.

  He lifted his eyebrow and soon a smile erupted. “Care to swap secrets?” He was clearly amused.

  “Nope, it wouldn’t be a secret if I told you, so you gotta wait till I can show you, and I won’t be able to do that if you don’t get us on that plane!” I rubbed his nose with my finger.

  We kissed and shared a quick laugh. Then we kissed some more. Our breaths were short, my heart was racing, and, he had his hands in my hair. We didn’t have time, or the honeymoon would’ve started in the car.

  “Get me to the chapel, cowboy, and make an honest woman out of me.”

  I’m pretty certain he left tread on the pavement, but he had his answer.

  ***

  When we arrived at the beautiful Polynesian island of Bora Bora, we were driven to the Four Seasons Resort, which was completely picturesque. The warm air and salty fragrance drifted from the ocean and teased my senses. I was mesmerized by the magnificent sounds of the waves crashing on the beach.

  Lost in a beautiful fantasy, I hadn’t realized Maggie, our wedding coordinator, was standing behind me, just watching me. The thought that my soul mate had researched and found the perfect location for us warmed my soul.

  “I’m that good in your daydream, huh?” he said with a laugh, bringing me out of my thoughts. “Sorry, sweetheart, but Maggie needs to speak with us about a few things before she leaves for the evening.” He grinned at me, loving that he’d caught me mesmerized by the ocean. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

  “Honey, it’s perfect. I’m so excited, I don’t want to move!” I answered, grinning at him.

  “Suits me. If you don’t move, I’ll have the minister meet us right here, and we can get things finalized right now!” He flashed his bright whites at me. He knew I wanted the whole wedding thing. He did too. Only once did he throw his hands up and suggest we screw everything and just go to the courthouse. The problem was he knew Daddy would hurt him when he found out about an elopement.

  From then on, there was never a consideration of a Justice of the Peace.

  I turned to find Maggie smiling at both of us. “It’s okay, just drink it all in. Take your time. Absorb all the island has to offer. I have plenty of things to do.” She turned to walk back into the hotel.

  “No, I’m coming. I know we have a few things to take care of.”

  We followed her to the wedding area. She gave us a tour of the wedding chapel, the poolside reception area, and escorted us to her office to do the final check off. Her organizational skills were nothing short of amazing. She took care of everything and provided a printed itinerary for all of the guests. We did a double check on the flowers, cake, and catering. The last item on the agenda was the music. Grayson handed her the itemized song titles.

  “I don’t think I saw the final list. Can I see that a minute?” I grabbed for the sheet of paper, but became distracted when Gretchen came dashing in and proclaimed they couldn’t find the bag with my wedding gown in it. I thought I was just about to have a meltdown. It had to be with my things because I’d personally put it on the plane.

  “Did it get left on the plane that’s on its way back to Dallas?” I asked, but no one seemed to be listening.

  When I caught up beside her, I said, “This isn’t funny, Gretchen. I put it on the plane myself. It has to be here.” I ran out to the front of the hotel in time to see the bellhop load my bags on a carrier. My dress was nowhere in sight.

  Dad sat mulling over a newspaper in the lobby. “This can’t be happening. Dad, I need your help, they can’t find my dress.”

  “What dress?” He didn’t even look up at me, still invested in the news.

  “My wedding dress!” I shouted.

  He looked at me over his reading glasses. I finally had his attention. “Where did you last see it?” he asked, very amused.

  “This is no time to be funny, Dad. We aren’t talking about my favorite bunny.” Hysteria was just around the corner.

  “Honey, simmer down. You could get married in a sack, for all that it matters, but we’ll find it. Again, where did you see it last?”

  “On the plane. I put it on the plane myself. I’m worried that it’s on the plane headed back to Dallas.”

  We stood in the lobby with Gretchen as Dad spoke with the pilot and the hotel checked with the airport’s lost and found. Moments later, the valet walked over to the reception desk, carrying my bridal boutique bag. Apparently, I’d left the dress in the van that had brought us to the hotel. I sighed a breath of relief and dabbed at the tear that had started to form at the corner of my eye.

  I meandered back to the wedding consultant’s office to find it empty. When I walked outside, I found Grayson standing in the doorway of the chapel, gazing at the stained glass window, seemingly deep in thought.. I simply couldn’t wait until Sunday to see him standing there again, this time in his tux, welcoming me to his side.

  My heart stuttered in my chest as I studied him. His rich features were serious and sensual at the same time. I loved his hair. His dark, silky waves of longer layers on top, with shorter sides, just said “come play” to me. He hadn’t shaved, so he still had just enough of that sexy scruff that put tingles on my neck. I could see his red lips from where I was, and I tried to imagine what he was thinking because all I could think about at that moment was being really alone with him.

  “If you don’t move, I’m going to summon the minister right now and marry you right this minute!”

  “Call him. Let’s do this thing right now, so I can get busy making you my wife!” he said laughingly back at me.

  My face flushed and my heart leapt. “You big tease. You wouldn’t.”

  “You daring me, Red?”

  “My daddy would hurt you, and I don’t want an injured groom. Let’s go find our rooms and simmer down. Didn’t they say our dinner table was ready?”

  He pulled me to a halt. “Wait, did you find your dress?”

  “Yes, I left it in the van. Let’s just hope that’s the last of the emergencies. ”

  The rooms were perfect. Everyone had a bungalow over the water, except for me. My suite was truly fit for a princess and part of the bridal package for two nights before I joined my husband on our wedding night.

  I first fell in love with the huge bathroom, a glorious bathtub, and all the amenities that a girl could imagine. A beautiful dark, wooden canopy bed, covered in cream and gold pillows was bracketed by two pair of French doors leading out to a balcony patio with an outdoor dining area, the ocean serving as the canvas. The staff had already stocked the mini-fridge with enough treats for a party. I found juices, champagne, assorted fruits and cheese.

  With my luggage partially unpacked, I rifled through my choices for dinner attire. Anytime I had to get dressed for something, Cooper came to my rescue, and he hadn’t failed me for this week, either.

  I’d found a cute text from him earlier in the week that had outfit suggestion pictures close to my wardrobe, which made it easy to put everything together. Not only that, but he had sent me the link for Pinterest that had the images, so I could learn to do it myself.

  I missed him. We had both been so busy the last month I had only seen him a couple of times. Without texting, I would’ve had a g
ood old fashioned Texas-sized come-apart. He and Mark were coming in the next day with the rest of the crew, and I desperately needed time with him.

  Dressed for dinner, I met Grayson in the lobby. I whispered in his ear, “Care to join me for breakfast in bed? My bed?”

  “Try and stop me.” He winked. I was just about to lay a delicious kiss on his lips when he interrupted me with a chuckle. “Here come your parents.”

  I was certain we looked like teenagers making a secret date. We tried to hide our fun, but by this time, we were truly busted.

  Daddy looked at Gretchen, then back to me. “Okay, I give. Do I have toilet paper stuck to my shoe or something? What’s so funny?”

  “Oh, Dad, we were just making plans to sneak out for a midnight naked swim. You know those crazy things that young people do!”

  Grayson pulled his arm tighter around my waist, but we both started laughing again.

  “Alexandra Elise Morrison, you’re on restriction. If you get arrested, I’m not bailing you out!” He shook his finger at me, but I knew he trusted me. He hadn’t scolded me in years. In fact, I couldn’t remember the last time he’d raised his voice to me.

  “You can relax, Dad. We’re just teasing you. No arrests, I promise. Let’s grab our seats. I’m starving!”

  The four of us shared a lovely table at the Sunset Restaurant over the water.

  “I want the sashimi starter plate, but it’s too much for one person. You want to share it with me, sweetheart?” I asked Grayson, while watching him mull over the menu.

  “I love sharing everything with you.” He ran his thumb across my lips before kissing me. I could tell he was having to use serious constraint.

  “You two eat that raw crap?” Dad looked like he was going to have a heart attack.

  “Yes. Up until a couple of years ago, I felt the same way, but it’s good. You should try it.”

  “It’s an acquired taste, but it took me a while too, Al,” Grayson added.

  “Hell, no. I want my food cooked.” The four of us chuckled at his adamant response.