by R. Linda
Kenzie scaled the bar and jumped behind it with Jeremy. Indie was whispering to Linc, who was wiggling his eyebrows at her while holding her hands on his chest, leaving me no doubt that he was talking about nipple clamps. I snorted.
Harper moved over to sit beside Nate, leaving Christina standing there alone, twisting her fingers uncomfortably. She flicked her gazed to me before darting her gaze around at everyone.
“Ms. Brown.” I stood and approached her. She gasped as I reached for her hips and pulled her to me, before lowering my head and capturing her lips in a searing kiss that had Audrey groaning and everyone else making crude comments. But I didn’t care. They all knew about us, and they accepted it.
Things were looking up.
Epilogue
Christina
I paced my living room and looked at my watch. Where was he? He was never late. And tonight wasn’t a night I could afford to be late. Tonight was important, probably one of the most critical moments of my life, and Bennett wasn’t here yet.
I walked into my kitchen and poured another glass of wine, hoping it would calm my nerves. The liquid warmed my throat and my belly, yet I was still trembling. What if it was a disaster?
What if I said the wrong thing?
What if I was asked a question I couldn’t answer?
I knew there’d be many.
Where was Bennett?
I checked my phone for a text or missed call from him and found nothing. Pressing his name, I bought my phone to my ear and listened to the dial tone.
“Ms. Brown?” His deep, velvety voice was smooth and sexy when he answered the phone. Almost a purr.
I melted. Still, after two months of hiding out in my house in very little clothes, in my bed, my back yard—that was becoming a regular occurrence—hearing him call me Ms. Brown did things to me, my body. Would it ever stop? I hoped it didn’t. The butterflies he used to give me were nothing compared to the whirlpool I felt now.
I got giddy just thinking about him. I loved his smile. The dimples that dented his cheek when he laughed. The way his blue eyes shone with delight and darkened to a stormy blue with pleasure. The way he wrapped his arm around me and held me close while we slept. The way he cooked breakfast shirtless. The way his hair fell in his face when it wasn’t tied up. The way his tongue peeked out the corner of his mouth when he was concentrating.
“Where are you?”
“Uhhh…about that. I’ve been held up. I’m not sure when I’m going to make it.”
I looked down at my dress, the one I’d bought specially for this night, and frowned. “What’s happened?”
“I can’t really talk about it right now.”
“Everything okay?”
“Not sure yet. You can go without me. I’ll meet you there when I finish dealing with this shit.”
“Are you crazy? No way! I’m not going alone.”
“Then what do you want to do?”
“I’ll wait for you, unless you think it’s going to take too long, then you call and cancel.”
“We don’t need to cancel. There’s no RSVP or reservation or anything, Christina. It’s the Kellermans.”
I know, but…” I took a deep breath. “They’re expecting us, and I don’t want to make a bad impression by being late or by not informing them we can’t make it.”
“Bad impression, huh?”
“Yes, I want them to like me, Bennett. I do. I was horrible in the past, and they’re all finally coming to terms with us, largely thanks to Audrey and Bailey, and I want to make things right. Not showing to dinner would not be in our best interests.”
“Ours? How’d I get roped into this?”
“Yep. We’re an ‘our’ now. I’ve decided.”
“Oh, you’ve decided. Do I get a say in this?” His tone was teasing and playful.
“No.”
“So demanding, Ms. Brown. Lucky I love a woman who knows what she wants.”
“Love?”
“What?’
“You said love.”
“No, I didn’t. You said love.”
“Pretty sure you—”
“Okay. Fine. Whatever. Maybe I did. Sort of. A little bit.”
“Does that mean—?”
“Jesus, Ms. Brown. You’re a hard-ass tonight. Yes, maybe I do. Sort of. A little bit.” The phone went silent except for Bennett’s shaky breath. I smiled, feeling that stampede getting more furious. My heart was pounding against my rib cage so hard I could feel it in my throat.
“Bennett?” I said.
He groaned, and I could imagine him right then. Eyes closed, face screwed up, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose as he tilted his head back.
“I maybe, sort of, a little bit…” I trailed off.
“Yes?” His voice was low, unsure.
Was it wrong that I wanted to mess with him a little bit? Maybe. He never got nervous. He was the most confident person I’d ever met, but right then I could hear it in his breath, and the tremor in his voice.
“Love you too,” I whispered.
“Fuck,” he hissed.
“What?”
“You had to say that now?”
My stomach sank. Did he not mean he loved me when he said it earlier? Maybe I just screwed everything up. What if I was the only one invested in this relationship, and he thought it was nothing more than sex? Really, really great sex. “Ummm, I can take it back if you’d prefer.”
“Don’t you fucking dare. But now how am I meant to deal with my father and him trying to kick me out…”
“What?” John was trying to kick him out. The guy was a piece of shit, and I wanted nothing more than to air his dirty laundry all over town, let everyone know what a pathetic excuse for a human being he was. But I learned my lesson the hard way. I wasn’t that girl anymore. I didn’t want to be that girl. I wanted to be the girl worthy of Bennett’s love.
“Doesn’t matter. But I can’t concentrate on that when all I want to do is come home to you and hear you say it again.”
A grin spread across my face, so wide my cheeks hurt. “I love you.”
“Again?”
“I love you.”
“Again?”
“Come on, Bennett, really?”
“Yes, really. No one other than Audrey has ever fucking told me they loved me.”
My heart clenched, and pain shot through me at the little piece of information. Another reason to hate his parents. “I. Love. You.”
“I have to call Audrey.”
“What? You’re kidding, right? Now?”
“Yes. Now. I have to cancel on dinner so I can come to your place and make you scream ‘I love you, Bennett’ so loud the neighbours complain. Over. And over again.”
“That confident in your abilities, huh?”
“You bet.”
“Okay, fine. Go and call Audrey. Get your video chat out of the way now, so there are no interruptions later. I’ll be here. Waiting. With the silk scarf and…”
“Nipple clamps?” Excitement laced his voice, and I could picture his eyes sparkling and getting darker as he thought about the night ahead.
“Uh-huh.”
“Knew there was a reason I loved you.”
I laughed. “And, Bennett, pack a suitcase. All your clothes and important stuff.”
“Why?”
“Move in with me?”
“I can’t move in with my English teacher after only two months. What would people think?”
“You slept with her the day you met her…”
“Touché.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
“Are we really doing this?”
“Do you want to live on the street? Or worse, continue living with your father?”
“Hell, no!”
“Then we’re really doing it.”
“Damn straight, we’re doing it. All night long. Better find your ruler, Ms. Brown.” He laughed and ended the call.
Was I sorry we were going to miss dinner at
the Kellermans’? No. Not at all. They did it every week. We could try again next week. If we ever left my bed.
Crap.
It all happened so fast. I hadn’t even thought it through properly, but Bennett was about to move into my house. With me. Because he loved me. And I loved him.
Oh, my god.
I needed more wine.
It was a huge commitment.
A giant step.
But I was willing to take it. The more I thought about it, the more I realised I’d never want anyone else. It was him. Only him.
I went to my room, soon to be our room, and changed out of my dress into something a little less comfortable, a lot more revealing, before returning to the living room and waiting for Bennett to come home.
My body was alight with anticipation. The excitement I felt was akin to the night of his graduation. Intense. Strong. Undeniable.
And then my phone rang. Not recognising the number, I thought about ignoring it, but something told me not to.
“Hello?”
“Hey, whore face,” a man’s cheery voice greeted. There was only one person who called me that, and I couldn’t blame him, as much as it hurt to hear. We hadn’t spoken to or seen each other in a few years. “It’s Jack.”
“I know. I remember.”
“Of course, you do. I’m unforgettable.”
He wasn’t wrong.
I sighed and closed my eyes, preparing myself for his answer to my next question. “How’d you get my number?”
“I know a person, who knows a person, who knows a person, who heads the Royal Whoreness committee, who gave me your number.”
“You’re an asshole.” I was tempted to hang up. I would not let Jack dampen my mood.
“Jack-ass actually. Ask Lincoln.”
“Is there a reason for your call? Or did you just ring to insult me?”
“There’s a reason. The insults are just an added bonus. I need your help.”
He needed my help. And he actually thought I’d help him after the names he’d just called me.
“What makes you think I want to help you?”
“Oh, whore face, you will when you find out what it is I need help with. Or rather who I need help with.”
“Who or what do you need help with?”
“Chace.”
Oh, Fuck.
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank Limitless Publishing for sticking with this series and continuing to publish my work. It wouldn’t have been possible without you.
My family, again, for putting up with my erratic schedule and allowing the time and peace to write when I needed it most. You guys are the best.
Lori, for polishing my manuscript and making it shine and sparkle and be the best it can be.
Deranged Doctor Design for yet another gorgeous cover. Seriously, they get better and better with each one you create for me. Thanks for the promotional and marketing materials you’ve designed as well. You nail it every time.
Amber, you’re a legend, and I couldn’t do all the other stuff on top of the writing without you. You’re always there when I need you.
My extra pairs of eyes—you know who you are. Without your eyes, I’d never catch any errors in the manuscript because mine clearly don’t work as well as I think they do.
My street team for sharing and pimping my stuff out, and for being there when I need to bounce ideas or just can’t make a decision. You help in so many ways.
Fiona. Again. Always. Because you are with me every step of the way. And WAFFLES. ;-)
And lastly…my beautiful readers and my reader group. You are the most important. Each and every one of you who have read one of my books or all of them, thank you. I couldn’t do it without you. You guys are seriously amazing, and I’m so grateful for you all and the support you give me, the encouragement, and your excitement for my books.
About the Author
R. Linda drinks wine and writes books.
A coffee-addicted, tattoo-enthusiastic fangirl with a slight obsession for a particular British boy band and solo artist, she is a writer of Contemporary YA/NA Romance and Suspense, sometimes dabbling in Paranormal as well.
Renee lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her husband and two sons. When not writing, she can often be found reading books to her children and cuddling up with them on the couch to watch their favourite movies.
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