Love Me Forever

by Serenity King

  “Damn, Nevea! Baby, you’re trying to kill me,” he said coarsely.

  Nevealise was close. So close she could feel her toes tingling. Sweat beaded on her skin; sensations overwhelmed her senses. Feeling as if she were going to pass out from pleasure, she dug her nails into Jarred’s shoulders, threw her head back and cried in release. Jarred grabbed her by the hips, pushed up into her once more and then came, emptying himself inside her.

  So spent she could hardly catch her breath, Nevealise fell on top on him. With her head on his muscled chest, she could hear each beat of his heart.

  “Sweetheart, are you all right?” he asked anxiously.

  “Better than all right. Wow!” she cried. “Wow!”

  A chuckle rumbled in his chest. “It was pretty amazing. Babe, I said ride me, not kill me,” he teased. “What the hell, you had horse riding lessons or something?”

  Nevealise swatted him on the chest. Her face reddened. He loved to make her blush by saying the most outrageous things.

  “You know you still didn’t answer my question,” he said quietly, his fingers cruising up and down her spine.

  “What question was that?” she asked.

  “Will you marry me?”

  “Yes,” she said without hesitation.

  “Yes!” he screamed, and then bucked, almost knocking her off him. “Oh, baby, I’m sorry,” he said, wrapping his arms more tightly around her. “First thing in the morning we are going for a ring.”

  “We can wait until next week, Jarred,” she said.

  “Oh no, we can’t. And we can get married before the baby comes, most definitely. Do you want a large or small wedding?” he asked.

  “Small. Just family and a few friends,” she said.

  “Good. Let’s tell the families!” he cried excitedly.

  “Tomorrow. I’m sleepy now.” To emphasize her words, she yawned.

  “Sure. Rest, baby,” he said, then he turned with Nevea in his arms and waited until she fell asleep. Then he slid from under her, grabbed a pair of pajama bottoms and slipped out of the room.

  Jarred dialed Brice first.

  “Nevea and I are getting married,” he blurted out, barely waiting for his brother to answer the phone.

  “Married?” Brice sounded confused.

  “Yes, married. We love one another and we’re having a baby together. We’re going to make it legal.”

  “Better you than me. Hey, congratulations, man! Now maybe you’ll stop terrorizing the employees.”

  “Thanks, man. Let me call Langston,” Jarred said.

  “You better call the folks first.”

  “Nope. Mom will keep me on the phone the entire night. You call her. Tell her I’ll call her tomorrow. I left Nevea in bed. I want to get back before she wakes up.”

  “Oh. It will be your head she bashes,” Brice kidded. “Congrats again. Give Nev my best.”

  “Will do. Thanks, man, for everything,” Jarred said, knowing Brice would hear the sincerity in his voice.

  “No problem. What are brothers for?” he said nonchalantly.

  Jarred disconnected the call and dialed Langston. He got his brother’s voice mail and told him the news. “Talk to you soon, Langston. Don’t call me until tomorrow ’cause I’m heading back where I belong—in bed.”

  When he finally went back to join Nevea, he pulled her naked body into his arms. She stirred, murmured something and then relaxed against him.

  Yeah, he was exactly where he belonged.

  Epilogue

  Nevealise and Jarred were married in the backyard of Jarred’s Southampton home two weeks after their announcement. Nevea wanted to get married before she started to show too much. The design of her dress covered her baby bump very well. Part of Jarred’s vow was to love her forever, and she believed him.

  Nevealise had somewhat made peace with her father, at her mother’s instance. She really couldn’t hold too much of a grudge, since her mom was still with him, and they both seemed to be happy. Nevealise had even let her father walk her down the aisle. Josiah had cried probably more than she had. She’d known her father was sick, but up until a week before the wedding, when she’d gone to her parents’ home with Jarred to ask her father to escort her down the aisle, she hadn’t fully comprehended just how sick her father was. He was thin and drawn. Not the robust, handsome man of long ago.

  Nevealise smiled at the remembrance of her wedding. What was supposed to have been a private ceremony had included over a hundred people.

  Jarred had laughed and joked about it, saying, “Baby, just think of what would have happened had we given them more time.” He was right, of course. Nevealise didn’t know how their mothers had pulled it off, but it was a beautiful ceremony. She was happy. Ecstatically so.

  Nevealise now sat in a honeymoon suite in the Poconos, not wanting to go far because of her condition. The doctor had said that she was severely anemic, and had arranged for a hematologist to monitor her. Nevealise had been afraid beyond belief. Jarred, her mother and his mother had all been wonderful, consoling her and reminding her not to borrow trouble where there was none. She’d taken their advice after the scan had showed that the baby was fine, and that they were having a girl. Nevealise would need to be monitored closely, and have scans done more frequently than usual until they got her anemia under control. Both her brothers had donated blood just in case she would need a transfusion after delivery.

  “You okay, Nevea?” she heard her husband ask. Husband. The word was music to her ears. Never would she have imagined getting married, but here she was, not only married, but expecting a baby.

  “I’m more than okay, husband of mine.” She smiled.

  “You were so engrossed in your thoughts that I wondered,” he said.

  “I’m not worked up about my anemia anymore, Jarred. However, I do need my husband to make love to me. I mean, that is why we have this pretty honeymoon suite, isn’t it?” she sassed.

  “I see someone’s got a healthy appetite for more than just food.” Jarred chuckled.

  “Are you complaining?” she purred, and stretched out on the bed.

  “Not in this lifetime,” he declared. Jarred leaned forward, removed Nevea’s skimpy gown, and then his boxers. Using his knees, he parted her legs, aligned his erection with her opening and gently pushed inside.

  “Yes-s-s,” Nevealise breathed.

  “Ah, baby, you feel so good. I don’t know how long I’m going to last,” Jarred groaned, increasing his tempo. Taking her lips in a scorching kiss, he lifted her hips, sinking deeper into her. He began to trail kisses across her face, her neck and her shoulder.

  Jarred felt Nevealise clenching around him and prayed he could hold on for her release. As if she was in his head, she bucked against him and cried out. Jarred followed her over the edge, calling her name as he did so.

  “I love you so much, Nevea,” he growled. Jarred waiting for their breathing to calm before speaking again. “You are my everything, sweetheart. Words cannot express how much I love you.”

  “Love me forever,” she whispered. “Just love me forever.”

  “No doubt about it, baby. Through thick and thin, we are in this forever.”

  * * *

  “I want to thank you, Bill, for giving me my daughter back,” Josiah Tempest said to his longtime friend, as he gripped the phone tightly in his hand. Josiah’s gaze traveled the expanse of the room. Golden light trickled through the oversized windows and painted soft rectangles against the wooden floors. This brought a smile to his face. He loved the newly renovated bedroom. Clara had done a wonderful job in redecorating it. The room was warm and inviting. The scent from the floral arrangement on the table across the room was divine. Even if lungs couldn’t absorb them to their full capacity. The look and smell of the weekly b
looms always brought a smile to his face.

  “For what?”

  Josiah sighed weakly. “I’ve been a first-rate fool for many years,” he said, with his breath wheezing through his lungs.

  “Well, now, I really can’t argue with that.” William Manning chuckled. “We all make mistakes, Josiah. Yours was a big one. However, friends don’t abandon friends in times of trouble.”

  “I never thought I’d have my family back,” Josiah whispered, as a lone tear rolled down his face.

  “Well, you had a chance to make it right and you have. Just move forward from here and let the past go. Besides, soon we’ll have this grandbaby we need to spoil. I have to say, when you came to me with this harebrained scheme of yours, I didn’t have a clue that it would lead to our children getting married.” William shook his head and smiled. “Dee’s still on cloud nine.”

  “So is Clara. She’s already shopping for that baby, and Nevealise’s not due until winter.” Josiah started laughing, then had to wait to speak until he stopped coughing.

  “You okay, Josiah?” William asked. Josiah could hear the concern in his voice and was forever grateful for his friend. “Is Clara there with you?”

  “What? Your hearing getting bad in your old age, Bill?” Josiah teased. “Clara’s out.”

  “Man, I’m not old. Just ask Dee,” William Manning said. “You’re old.”

  Josiah laughed. “You think they’ll ever figure out they were swindled to get Nevealise there?”

  “Nah, this was actually good for them. And you did have a lot going on in that company, Josiah. You know you could have gone to jail from that mess. However, you handled it well. Nah, I’ll give my boys a little more time before I suggest they dump Tempest. Who knows, maybe I’ll get some more grandbabies out of this mess.”

  “You just may. So I did a good deed, didn’t I?” Josiah asked.

  “I would say so, my friend. I would say so.”

  “Good. I needed to hear that.” Josiah wheezed and coughed again.

  “Josiah, are you sure you’re okay? You don’t sound so good, man.”

  “I am now, Bill. I am now. I guess Clara is back. I hear shopping bags,” Josiah joshed.

  “I can only imagine. I don’t know how Dee is going to get all these packages from Texas to New York,” William grunted, and sent Josiah into another fit of wheezing.

  “She’ll find a way, my friend.” Josiah breathed deeply in and out. “Again, thanks for everything. Kiss my grandbaby for me,” he said, and took his last breath.

  “What do you mean?” When William heard no response, he called, “Josiah? Josiah, are you still there? Josiah. Josiah!” he yelled into the phone.

  Instead of his longtime friend’s voice, a hysterical Clara was heard on the line. “He’s gone, Bill.”

  “Oh damn,” William Manning whispered, and then mourned his friend.

  * * *

  Jarred awoke to the loud chirping of his cell phone. Looking at the clock on the night table next to the bed, he furrowed his brow. It wasn’t late, but the rushed planning of the wedding and all the doctor visits had worn out both him and Nevea. Not to mention their incessant lovemaking. He’d made love to her, albeit gently, more times than he thought was healthy, but his wife’s hormones were kicking into overdrive and their doctor had assured them sex wouldn’t harm her or the baby.

  Jarred grabbed his cell phone and looked at the caller ID. Why was his father calling? Jarred got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. His dad would never disturb his honeymoon unless it was something serious. Quietly leaving the bed, Jarred made his way out of the bedroom and into the living room of their honeymoon suite.

  “Dad,” he said gruffly.

  “Hey, son. I’m sorry to interrupt your time alone with Nevealise, but I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

  Jarred swallowed hard. He prayed nothing was wrong with his mom. “What is it, Dad?”

  “I’m afraid Josiah passed earlier today. We contemplated waiting till you got home, but I didn’t feel right about not telling you. If you decide to wait to tell Nevealise, that’s fine. Nothing will be done until you all get back, anyway.”

  Jarred couldn’t deny his concern. He worried that this news would be something else stressful his pregnant wife would have to deal with.

  “Ah, man. Shit! Yeah, I’ll figure out a way to tell her. She’ll want to be there for her mom, anyway.”

  “I thought so, too. Clara was adamant about not contacting her, but I didn’t feel it was right.”

  “No, you’re correct. I’m sorry for your loss, Dad. I know you and Mr. Tempest were good pals,” he said.

  “He had his faults, Jarred, but he was still my friend.” Jarred could hear his father’s voice break.

  “It’ll be okay, Dad. We’ll be back in the morning. No sense in waking Nevea now,” Jarred whispered. “When are you flying in?”

  “Your mother and I are flying out sometime tomorrow, I guess. I’ll see you when I get there.”

  “Talk to you soon, Dad,” Jarred said, and then disconnected. Now he had to figure out how to break the news to his wife. She’d just patched things up with her father, and now he was gone.

  * * *

  Josiah Tempest was laid to rest less than a week later. He was survived by his wife of many years and his three adult children.

  Nevealise and Jarred remained at the graveside long after the other mourners had gone to their cars.

  “Are you okay, sweetheart?” Jarred asked his wife.

  “I’m okay. At least we got to settle our differences before he passed. I don’t think I could have lived with myself otherwise,” she said, her voice cracking.

  “It’s okay, love. Let it all out,” he said, grabbing her in his arms and letting her cry.

  Afterward, they went back to the house for a small repast. When the last guest left, her brothers assured them they were going to stay with their mother to get things settled, so Jarred took Nevea home.

  Now he sat up in bed, watching the soft rise and fall of her chest. She’d finally gone off to sleep. He ran a tired hand over his face, and then pulled Nevea into his arms, placing his hand on her belly. He was home.

  Jarred had found a peace within himself that he never knew existed. He knew within his heart of hearts that Nevea was the cause of his inner peace. She was more than he could have asked for in a wife and the mother of his unborn child. He would love both of them forever, till death did them part.

  Jarred smiled, snuggled closer to his wife and quickly joined her in sleep.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from A PLEASING TEMPTATION by Deborah Fletcher Mello.

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  A Pleasing Temptation

  by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  Chapter One

  “Finding a man has never been my problem,” Kamaya Boudreaux mumbled under her breath as she exchanged a look with her older sister, who grinned. “I can find a man. A very large, well-endowed man!” Her tone was low, the comment meant for her sister’s ears only. She winced when she realized her twin brother had happened to overhear.

  “Ewww! Way too much information,” Kendrick Boudreaux muttered, a deep frown pulling his full lips downward.

  Kamaya shot him a look as she rolled her eyes.

  The private jet had barely taken off before Kamaya was being interrogated by her parents about her personal life. Or lack thereof, depending on how you chose to look at it. Her family had just left Arizona where her parents had married off their youngest daughter. Now, they were suddenly focused on Kamaya, the only one of their nine children still unmarried. Both had had way too much to say. Kamaya shook her head and rolled her eyes a second time.

  “You work too hard, Kamaya,” Senior Boudreaux noted. “You can’t find a man when you’re always in that office by yourself!”

  Kamaya took a deep breath. “I really don’t, Senior. But aren’t you the one who always told us to handle our business first? That all the rest could wait? That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

  Obviously still giddy that her most pretentious child had gotten married in the most pragmatic manner, Katherine Boudreaux laughed. “She’s not alone all the time, Senior. That Paxton boy is always sniffing around. Just waiting for Kamaya to show him some attention. Isn’t that right, Kamaya?”