Glitter and Grit

by Jessie Evans

  Grayson stilled and his hand went stiff in hers.

  “Yeah, I know. Crazy, but I’m serious,” Reece continued with a soft laugh, before he could ask. “I met her and she said you were her dad and told me to get my ass back here if I wanted to be her mom.”

  Reece’s gaze slid to Grayson, not surprised to find an expression somewhere between skepticism and shock on his handsome face.

  “Or it could have been a crazy ass coma dream,” Reece said with a yawn. “But it was weird. It felt so real, not like any dream I’ve ever had. But then I’ve never been in a coma before so…”

  Grayson nodded for a long silent moment before he finally shrugged. “I guess there’s only one way to find out if it was a dream or not.”

  Reece blinked heavily, surprised that she felt sleepy after relatively little time awake. “How’s that?”

  “Well,” Grayson said, pressing another kiss to her hand. “First, we’ll have to move in together.”

  “Given,” Reece said with a tired smile. “Consider my shit packed.”

  “And then we’ll have to finish falling in love.” Grayson traced a pattern on the back of her hand. “Then we’ll have to get engaged, get married, do away with the birth control and…see what happens.”

  “Traditionalist,” Reece murmured, lids drooping as she smiled.

  “Or you could stop taking the pill as soon as you’re stronger and we could just go for it,” Grayson said, pinning her with a look that made it clear he wasn’t joking, at least not completely. “Because I already know I want forever. I knew it the moment you sat down beside me at the bar and told me you would be my place where nobody knew my name.”

  Reece snorted. “You did not.”

  He grinned. “Maybe not, but it wasn’t long after that.” He leaned in, pressing a sweet kiss to her forehead. “I’m going to love you for a long time, Miss Hearst.”

  “Good.” She squeezed his hand with a happy sigh. “I’m going to love you, too, Mr. Parker.”

  “Now get some rest Shortstack. I’ll be here when you wake up. And no more visiting the other side until we’re both old and gray.”

  “Okay.” Reece drifted off with a smile on her face, not caring if the way she’d found her forever was a little crazy. It made sense, really. She hadn’t followed the rules with the rest of her life, why should it be any different when it came to love?

  But now, instead of concussions and broken bones, the consequence for breaking the rules was a life with the only man who’d ever made her feel like there was no reason left to run. There was only a life she wanted to run toward, scooping up every bit of happiness she could along the way.

  EPILOGUE

  Six weeks later

  Grayson

  Grayson and Reece’s flight from Miami to Key Grande didn’t land until nearly ten o’clock and it was midnight by the time they got checked into the houseboat they were renting for their week-long honeymoon in the Florida Keys. But the moment they had their luggage on board, Grayson reached into the front pocket of Reece’s suitcase and pulled out the fuzzy black handcuffs she’d nearly had confiscated by an overly enthusiastic TSA worker on their way through airport security in San Antonio.

  Thankfully, however, his wife wasn’t afraid to defend their right to take sex toys on a plane with her usual frankness—and a few colorful anecdotes that left the TSA worker sputtering—and they’d made it through security with their handcuffs safely in their possession.

  Grayson was grateful. They’d confirmed a mutual love of bondage a few weeks ago and he intended to continue enjoying their new handcuffs during the honeymoon.

  “The time has come to put these to use, Mrs. Parker,” he said, twirling the cuffs around one finger, loving the sound of Reece’s laughter as she collapsed on the edge of the bed in a fit of giggles.

  “Oh my God. That was so funny,” she said, kicking off her white boots, the same pair she’d worn during their wedding ceremony at the Blue Saloon Hotel that morning. They’d been married on the stools where they’d met, exchanging their vows in front of a small gathering of friends and family in the early hours before the bar opened.

  “That’s my favorite honeymoon memory so far.” Reece’s eyes sparkled as she stood and pulled her lacy cream dress over her head, revealing the white bra and panty set beneath. “I’m never going to forget the look on that man’s face.”

  “I’m never going to forget the sight of you naked and handcuffed to that headboard,” he said, past ready to get his wife in bed. “Crawl up there and put those pretty arms up over your head.”

  “Yes, sir,” Reece said, turning to crawl, slowly and deliberately, toward the top of the queen bed that dominated this side of the small boat cabin, clearly enjoying torturing him with the view of her white thong nestled in the crease of her gorgeous ass.

  Leaving for the honeymoon right after the wedding had seemed like a good idea when they were making plans and trying to avoid being away from the ranch for too long, but he’d underestimated how arousing promising the rest of his life to Reece was going to be. He’d been dying to make love to her ever since they said their “I do’s” and had considered pulling her into the family bathroom at the airport for a quickie more than once.

  But as he cuffed her to the bed and set about delivering some erotic torture of his own—stripping her bra and underwear down her body with his teeth and kissing every inch of her flushed skin—he was glad he’d waited. He loved that their first time together as man and wife was on a boat on this private dock without a soul close enough to hear what they were up to.

  There was no reason to keep his voice low as he told Reece all the ways he wanted to give her pleasure, no reason for her to bury her face in the pillow as she came on his mouth, crying out his name in that husky voice of hers. No reason for Grayson to stifle the groan of satisfaction that burst from his lips as he pushed inside her slick heat.

  “You feel so good, beautiful,” he said, kissing her with the words, loving the way her breath came fast against his lips as he shoved all the way to the end of her. “I want to fuck you all night.”

  “Yes,” she said, lifting into him, taking him impossibly deeper. “Until the sun comes up. I love you. So much.”

  “I love you, too,” he echoed, gliding in and out of her, amazed that it kept getting better every time they made love. He’d never imagined seven weeks ago that he’d end up marrying the sexy little blonde who’d wandered into his life on Christmas Eve, but now he couldn’t remember what his life had been like without her.

  And he didn’t want to remember. He knew it had been a darker, sadder, lonelier place than the world he lived in now. This world where he woke up every morning with a smile on his face because he got to spend another day working beside his best friend and another night making love to her until they were both too worn out to move. He lived for those quiet moments at the end of the day, when Reece was lying curled against him and the world felt so perfect and right. He was finally where he was supposed to be, with the woman who had been meant for him, and not a minute went by that he wasn’t grateful to have finally found her.

  “If you want me to get a condom, let me know now,” he said as their rhythm grew more urgent, both of them straining toward the pleasure they always found in each other’s arms. “If I don’t stop now, I might not be able to.”

  “Don’t stop, don’t stop,” Reece said, arm muscles straining as she arched into him, her flushed cheeks letting him know how close she was to the edge. “I want to get pregnant while I’m in handcuffs. It will be a great story to tell the kid someday.”

  Grayson’s breath rushed out as he stroked deeper, hitting that place inside of his wife that made her gasp with pleasure every time. “I think we’re going to need some parenting classes before this kid comes out. Or she’s going to need a butt load of therapy. One or the other.”

  “I’m kidding, Grayson, Jesus. I’m not really going to talk about our sex life with our child.” Reece moaned an
d her hips lifted into his, urging him on. “But I’d like it if we got pregnant tonight. I can’t wait to be a family.”

  “We’re already a family,” he said, looking deep into her eyes, fighting to hold on as his balls tightened and pleasure threatened to pull him under. “I love you baby. I feel so lucky to be your husband.”

  “Me too, Grayson, I love you so much I—” She broke off with a cry as she came, but she didn’t look away. She held his gaze, letting him see how much pleasure her gave her, the bliss reflected in her eyes sending him over with a groan. His cock pulsed inside of her for what felt like forever, his release even more mind-blowing than it usually was. There was something about realizing they could be making a baby that made the moment even more intense.

  But not scary. This was nothing like his first wedding night. He didn’t care how fast he and Reece had fallen or that they were diving straight into an even more serious commitment and hoping for a baby during their first year of marriage. There was no doubt in his mind that what they had found was real and was going to last.

  He loved every wild, silly, sweet, genuine part of his new wife—from the way she sang to the horses while she cleaned stalls, to the way she woke him up in the middle of the night to climb out on the roof and watch a meteor shower streak across the sky. He loved quiet mornings with the Sunday paper and long nights talking about all the things they would change about the world if they could. He lived for her laughter and treasured the moments when she trusted him with her tears and couldn’t wait for more of the heaven he’d been living in for the past six weeks.

  Because he knew things with Reece were only going to get better every day.

  Much, much later, as they cuddled together under a quilt on the deck of the boat, watching the sun come up, he silently gave thanks for the woman in his arms, the one who finally made him feel he’d come home, no matter where they were on the map.

  “So have you decided what you want to do about the ranch?” Grayson asked, dropping a tired kiss to the top of her head. “I told Layla we’d figure out whether or not we wanted to list the property while we were gone.”

  “Well…I know the boarding business is going well. And I’ve enjoyed spending time with Mom and Dad, but…” Reece glanced up at him in the pale morning light. “What would you say if I said I still wanted to leave?”

  “I’d call Layla this morning and tell her we’re going to list it,” he said. “Give her more time to figure out where she wants to go next.”

  “Really?” Reece asked, watching him closely. “And you wouldn’t be upset?”

  “I told you the last time we talked about this—all I need is you. And all I want is for you to be happy. If you’re happier away from Lonesome Point, then I am too.”

  “Have I told you lately how wonderful you are?” She turned, looping her arms around his neck and sliding a leg across his lap until she straddled him.

  He squeezed her hips, wondering if he had enough energy to go for round four before they finally went to sleep. “You may have shouted a thing or two about it while you were coming on my mouth last night.”

  She grinned, but it faded quickly. “Well, if you swear you’re happy either way, I think I’d rather sell and find a place of our own. It’s been easier than I thought it would be to put the bad memories to rest, but it would be nice to have a clean slate. With just you and me and maybe someone else before too long. A new place where I was never a rodeo queen and you were never the son of the guy who faked his own death. Somewhere where—”

  “Nobody knows our names,” Grayson finished, loving the smile the words put on his wife’s face. “I had a feeling that’s what we were going to end up deciding. I’ve already been looking at a few properties in Montana, a couple hours from your sister. Close, but not too close. Because I know the only person you want up in your business on a daily basis is me.”

  “Thank God.” Reece laughed. “I’m glad you know me so well. Is it okay to admit that, no matter how much I love my parents, seeing them every other day at dinner has been driving me nucking futs?”

  He grinned. “Like I couldn’t tell. You have no secrets from me, Shortstack.”

  She smoothed a fond hand down his face. “No, I don’t. And I don’t ever want any, Broody.” With a happy sigh, she shifted in his lap, curling against his chest as the sun broke the horizon and the first day of their married life began in earnest.

  ***

  The End

  Keep reading for a sneak peek at the next book in the Lonesome Point series,

  CHAPS AND CHANCE, Layla and Cole’s story.

  A letter from the Author

  Tell me your favorite part!

  Dear reader,

  I hope you enjoyed GLITTER AND GRIT and will take a moment to leave a review (even a sentence or two is great!) and tell me your favorite part of the story! I love reading your thoughts so much and reviews help other readers discover the series.

  The Lonesome Point books mean so much to me, and I’m thrilled to share these stories of sexy Texas cowboys and the women tough enough to tame them with all of you. I treasure every email I receive and hope to have more to add to my collection in the coming months as the rest of the series releases.

  If you’d like to chat about your reading experience please drop me a line at Jessie.d.evans@gmail.com. You can also catch me on Facebook (my favorite place to hang out with readers) https://www.facebook.com/JessieEvansRomance, or sign up for my newsletter so you’ll never miss out on a new release or giveaway again http://bit.ly/1swaXYv.

  Wishing you many good reads, and thank you for the chance to tell you stories,

  Jessie Evans

  More about the author:

  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jessie Evans, gave up a career as an international woman of mystery to write the sexy, contemporary romances she loves to read.

  She's married to the man of her dreams, and together they're raising a few adorable, mischievous children in a cottage in the jungle. She grew up in rural Arkansas, spending summers running wild, being chewed by chiggers, and now appreciates her home in a chigger-free part of the world even more.

  When she's not writing, Jessie enjoys playing her dulcimer (badly), sewing the worlds ugliest quilts to give to her friends, going for bike rides with her house full of boys, and drifting in and out on the waves, feeling thankful for sun, surf, and lovely people to share them with.

  Learn more at www.jessieevansauthor.com

  More sexy contemporary reads by Jessie Evans

  Lonesome Point, Texas

  LEATHER AND LACE

  SADDLES AND SIN

  DIAMONDS AND DUST

  12 Dates of Christmas: A Lonesome Point Holiday Novella

  GLITTER AND GRIT

  CHAPS AND CHANCE

  ROPES AND REVENGE

  Always a Bridesmaid

  BETTING ON YOU

  KEEPING YOU

  WILD FOR YOU

  TAKING YOU (series-ending novella)

  Fire and Icing

  MELT WITH YOU

  HOT FOR YOU

  SWEET TO YOU

  SAVING YOU (series-ending novella)

  Escape to You Novellas

  AUDITIONING YOU

  DARING YOU

  Edgy, New Adult Reads written as J. Evans

  ONE WILD NIGHT-Wild Rush One

  THIS WICKED RUSH-Wild Rush Two

  ONE PERFECT LOVE- Wild Rush Three

  THIS SWEET ESCAPE-Wild Rush Four (Danny and Sam’s story)

  ONE BEAUTIFUL REVENGE-Wild Rush Five (Danny and Sam’s conclusion)

  More Lonesome Point Novels

  Coming in 2015!

  CHAPS AND CHANCE

  Lonesome Point, Texas, Book Five

  How far will they go for a second chance...

  Years ago, Layla Parker's romantic dreams came true. She married her high school sweetheart and settled into a house on his family's ranch to live happily ever after. But sometimes dreams turn into nightm
ares and when Layla's husband became abusive, she felt there was no way out. Her big brother was serving overseas, her friends were away at college, and her single father insisted she'd made her bed and now she had to lie in it. It isn't until her father's death over a decade later that Layla gains the courage to leave her marriage. She hopes to find peace living alone, but her dreams of happily ever after died a long time ago.

  Cole Lawson has spent years secretly pining for his former best friend. Layla Parker captured his heart sophomore year of high school, but she was already taken. When she married her boyfriend two years later, she and Cole grew apart and have rarely seen each other since. Cole's been a lady killer since the day he realized that his dimpled smile made all the cowgirls swoon, but when he discovers Layla is newly single he's ready to put an end to his womanizing ways and make a serious play for the one who got away.

  When tragedy strikes the Lawson family, Cole and Layla's rekindled friendship grows into something more, but soon a dark secret from Layla's past threatens to destroy their shot at forever. Now Cole will have to decide-listen to his heart or to the people warning him that Layla might not be as innocent as she seems.

  CHAPS AND CHANCE releases spring 2015

  Sign up for Jessie’s newsletter to receive an alert on release day! http://bit.ly/1swaXYv.