“I’ll do that.” She nods and wipes her cheeks dry. “I’ll crash their party, then take her home.”
“Good idea.” I hug her again. “Everything’s okay.”
She nods and leaves, and I’m left with the woman of my dreams. And she’s whole and healthy and she’s going to be okay.
“Hi there, handsome,” she says with that goofy smile.
“Hi.” I sit on the bed at her hip and drag my fingers down her flawless cheek. “You just took about ten years off my life.”
“It’s only a flesh wound,” she says again in that horrible British accent, making me smile at her.
“What is it, really?”
“It was a mess,” she says, her words only a little slurred. “’Member Mrs. LaCroix?”
“Of course.”
“Husband came back,” she says and shakes her head. “And he’s a mean bastard. Shot at us, and a bullet grazed my shoulder.” She nods to her left to show me the bandages. “I had to have stitches.”
“God, baby,” I inhale deeply and bury my face in her neck, breathing her in. “God, if it had been two inches to the right—”
“I know,” she assures me and plunges her fingers in my hair, holding on tight. “I know. But it wasn’t. And I’m okay.”
She shifts on the bed and hisses in pain.
“But it burns like a mother ducker.”
I pull back and grin. “Ducker?”
“Auto correct of the mouth. I have to have it turned on because I have a five-year-old.” She smirks. “You’re hot.”
“You’re drunk.”
“Really good drugs for this flesh wound.”
“Your British accent is horrible.”
“There’s no need to insult me,” she says with a frown. “I’ve been shot for godsake. You’re supposed to baby me and pamper me and bend to my will.”
“I’ve been bending to your will since day one.”
“As if.” She rolls her eyes, then closes them and moans softly.
“Do you need more medicine?”
“Nah.” She smiles, but her eyes are still closed. “I’m just sleepy.”
“Did they say when you can go home?”
“Anytime, I think,” she replies softly.
“Sweetheart, I need you to stay awake for a minute, okay?”
“Okay.” But she doesn’t open her eyes.
I lean in and kiss her forehead, her cheek, her lips. “Wake up, baby.”
“Okay,” she repeats and forces her eyes open. “There you are.”
“Here I am.” I swallow and look at her perfect lips, then into her amazing eyes. Why have I been such a stubborn ass? Why couldn’t I admit before how much I love her? God, I almost lost her. “I love you, Sarah.”
“Wow. These drugs are good. I just dreamed that you said you love me.”
I grin again and kiss her cheek. “I did. I love you so much. For those few moments that I thought I might lose you…it was agony, Sarah. I didn’t want another minute to go by without telling you that I love you because I realize how short life can be, and we shouldn’t waste it.”
“This is a very serious conversation for someone on hard narcotics,” she says, but she cups my face in her hands and looks deeply into my eyes. “But I love you too, handsome. I love you so much that it hurts, and let me tell you, that’s a lot.”
“It sounds like a lot,” I reply and lean my forehead on hers. “Don’t ever scare me like this again.”
“Scared me too,” she admits softly. “I just thought of Hailey and you and Becca, and I knew that I couldn’t leave you guys like this. I couldn’t do that to you. And I just found you.”
“You’re stuck with me, baby.”
“Good. I love you, too. Both of you.”
“Both of us?”
“There are two of you right now.” She giggles softly. “And I think I’m going to pass out.”
“Go ahead. I have you, sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere.”
Chapter Ten
Three months later.
~Sarah~
“Seriously,” Becca says and wraps her arm around my shoulders. “You didn’t have to get a place with an apartment above the garage just for me.”
“Okay,” Adam says as he walks into Becca’s apartment and sets the last box on the dining room table. “We’ll go back out and find something else.”
“Ha ha,” I reply and roll my eyes. “We want you nearby, and we know that you need your own space, so this makes sense.” I kiss her cheek. “Besides, don’t even try to pretend that you don’t love this place.”
“It’s so cute,” she gushes and squeezes me, then jerks back. “Oh God, did I hurt you?”
“I wish you’d all believe me when I say that I’m healed,” I reply. “I’m glad you love it.”
After I left the hospital three months ago, Adam and I decided that even though it seemed fast, we didn’t want to waste any more time, so we started looking for houses for all four of us. It made perfect sense to take this house in the Garden District that has a full mother-in-law, or in this case a sister-in-law, suite above the garage. It’s actually a one-bedroom apartment, and it’s perfect for Becca while she goes to college and helps out with Hailey.
And I like having her close by.
“I want to see my princess bedroom again!” Hailey says and takes my hand, leading me down the stairs.
The majority of the house is unpacked. All of Adams things from his apartment are moved and put away as well, and now it’s just odds and ends.
And keeping a certain five-year-old entertained and out of the way.
“Actually, I was thinking that we should go to the movies,” Becca says to Hailey, who immediately shifts her attention. “And then maybe we’ll grab some ice cream on the way home.”
“Ice cream!” Hailey exclaims. “Can we go, Mama?”
“That’s a great idea,” I reply and fish in my handbag for cash. “Thank you so much.”
“My pleasure,” Becca says. “Let’s go, rug rat.”
“Yay!” Hailey yells as Becca takes her hand and leads her to her car.
“Hmmm, they’re gone,” Adam says and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me close to him as we walk into the house. “What can we possibly do for the next few hours?”
“Unpack boxes. Organize the kitchen. Hang pictures on the walls,” I reply, then sigh when he sinks his teeth into my neck and bites. Hard. “You know I can’t resist you when you do that.”
“Do you want to resist me?” he murmurs against my skin.
“No.”
“Good.” He turns me to face him and cups my face in his hands. “I want you, right now, in our bedroom. We need to get to work christening the house. We’ll start there.”
“We’re going to christen the whole house today?” I ask with a laugh. “That’s ambitious.”
“No, smart ass, not today. But we’ll get started.” He leans in and plants his lips against my ear. “Now, I want you to go upstairs to our bedroom, get undressed, and lie on the bed.”
“Where are you going to be?” I ask with a frown, but he just smiles.
“I’ll be there soon.”
“I see what you’re doing here,” I reply and turn to walk to the stairs. “You’re getting all bossy and alpha on me.”
“I don’t hear any objections.”
I just shake my head and laugh as I climb the stairs, my body already on high alert. Making love with Adam is like nothing I’ve ever experienced in my life. Even with Kurt, and I no longer feel guilty for feeling that way. I loved him, and I’ll always love him and be grateful for Hailey. But I’ve moved on with a man that turns my world upside down. He adores my daughter, and he loves me, maybe more than I’ve ever been loved before.
And it feels damn good.
After I’ve shed my clothes, I pull the covers back on the bed and lie down on top of the sheets, completely exposed.
Since I was shot, Adam has been gentle when making love to
me, and that’s been wonderful, but I’m starting to get impatient. I’m not fragile. My wounds are just scars now, and I want him to fuck me like he did in the beginning.
I like it a little rough.
I like it sweet, too.
Let’s face it—as long as it’s Adam, it’s amazing.
“Good girl,” Adam says as he walks into the room, a glass of ice water in his hand. “How do you feel?”
“I’m fine.”
His green eyes are on fire as they roam from my bare feet, up my legs, my pussy and breasts, and finally to my eyes. He smiles softly as he sets the glass down and begins working on shucking his own clothing.
“You’re beautiful,” he replies. “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.”
“Okay,” I reply with a snort, positive that he’s been with women in much better shape than me, but I love him for seeing me as beautiful and sexy. I’m not self-conscious in the least when I’m with him.
“You don’t believe me?”
He cocks a brow and reaches for the glass, naked now and rock hard. Even my fingers tingle at the thought of him shoving his cock inside me with that first thrust.
I want him.
Now.
“I believe you.”
“Hmm.” He kneels between my legs and suddenly my knees are up around my ears and his mouth, cold from the ice, is on me. Every nerve ending in my body is exploding.
“Oh my God!”
“Hmm,” he says again and continues to assault me with that incredible mouth, nipping at my lips, licking my clit, then plunging his fingers inside me and rubbing that spot that makes every muscle tense up and cling to him.
“Want you.”
“Right here,” he replies. “Always right here.”
“Need you inside me,” I reply and tug on his hair until he kisses his way up my stomach, pauses to kiss my scars tenderly, then covers me with his body. “Please.”
“Since you asked so nicely,” he says with that sexy half-smile, and slowly slips inside me until he’s fully balls deep and I can’t tell when he ends and I begin.
“God, you feel so good,” he growls and braces his forehead against mine. “You make it hard to take it easy.”
“Don’t take it easy,” I reply and circle my hips, inviting him to thrust harder and faster, but he shakes his head. “Fuck me, Adam.”
He stills, his eyes on mine, and then curses low under his breath. “I’m not fucking you, sweetheart.” He pulls his hips back, then pushes in again and pauses. “We aren’t strangers.” He nibbles the side of my mouth. “We aren’t kids.”
“Whatever you want to call it,” I reply impatiently.
“Love,” he says simply and braces himself on his elbows as his hips pick up speed and he continues to watch me. “I’m making love to you. Fast. Slow. Hard. Soft. No matter how it is, it’s love, sweetheart.”
My whole body lights up with his words, the way it always does when he gets all romantic. One thing I’ve learned about Adam, he’s good with words.
“I need you to love me harder,” I reply and bite his lower lip, making him grin.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispers.
“I’m recovered,” I remind him and grip his ass in my hands. “And I need you to love me harder, the way you used to.”
“You don’t like it soft and slow?”
“I do,” I insist and clench down, gripping him like a vise and making his eyes cross. “But I like it hard and fast too, and you’ve been very careful with me for three months now.”
“I love you,” he says, surprising me, and his hips pick up speed, but he’s not pushing any harder. “For a brief second, I thought I was going to lose you, and it was the worst second of my life.”
“I’m here,” I reply and push his shoulder. He cocks a brow, but rolls us over so I’m on top of him now, riding him. I’m not pushing harder, yet, but I pick up the tempo and moan long and low. “I’m right here, Adam, and I’m not leaving you. And sometimes I want you to love me slow and easy, but sometimes, I need you to love me hard and fierce.” I drop my hips, harder now, and grind down on him, making us both growl in pleasure. “I need this.”
And with that, I ride him hard and fast, until we’re both gasping for breath and spent. I collapse on top of him in a sweaty mess, chest heaving with breath, hair a tangled mess, and grin.
“Not that you shouldn’t be happy, but what are you grinning about?”
“How did you know?”
“I could feel it.”
Figures. Not much slips past his attention. After a long, silent moment, I rise up on my elbow and stare down at him.
“This is just the beginning.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He kisses my fingers and rolls us over again, trapping me beneath him and kissing me brainless. “I can’t wait to see our family grow in this house. I can’t wait to build a future with you, Sarah.”
“Me too.” I grin and drag my fingers down his cheek. “Me too.”
The End
Also from 1001 Dark Nights and Kristen Proby, discover Easy With You.
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Nothing has ever come easy for Lila Bailey. She’s fought for every good thing in her life during every day of her thirty-one years. Aside from that one night with an impossible to deny stranger a year ago, Lila is the epitome of responsible.
Steadfast. Strong.
She�
��s pulled herself out of the train wreck of her childhood, proud to be a professor at Tulane University and laying down roots in a city she’s grown to love. But when some of her female students are viciously murdered, Lila’s shaken to the core and unsure of whom she can trust in New Orleans. When the police detective assigned to the murder case comes to investigate, she’s even more surprised to find herself staring into the eyes of the man that made her toes curl last year.
In an attempt to move on from the tragic loss of his wife, Asher Smith moved his daughter and himself to a new city, ready for a fresh start. A damn fine police lieutenant, but new to the New Orleans force, Asher has a lot to prove to his colleagues and himself.
With a murderer terrorizing the Tulane University campus, Asher finds himself toe-to-toe with the one woman that haunts his dreams. His hands, his lips, his body know her as intimately as he’s ever known anyone. As he learns her mind and heart as well, Asher wants nothing more than to keep her safe, in his bed, and in his and his daughter’s lives for the long haul.
But when Lila becomes the target, can Asher save her in time, or will he lose another woman he loves?
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Easy For Keeps: A Boudreaux Novella (The Boudreaux Series) Page 9