by Thayer King
“You taste so good, baby.” He gave her pussy one more kiss and then kissed the inside of her thighs before moving over her. He licked his glistening lips as he slid his cock up and down her slit. Notching his dick at her opening, he fell forward over her, holding himself up by his elbows. “I love you, Ashley,” he whispered as he pushed himself home.
“I love you, too.” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist. He started to thrust, his gaze holding hers. She moved with him, her toes curling at the delicious sensation of him sliding deep into her heat.
As he increased his pace, he buried his face in her neck and groaned. “Oh, God, baby, I’m gonna cum so hard.”
Ashley moaned at the sound of his deep voice, racked with pleasure. Stephen insinuated a hand between their bodies. He massaged her clit and fucked her hard until she screamed his name. He pounded into her, growling when his own orgasm hit. His hot cum filled her up and it felt so good and so right.
He collapsed on her with a deep groan before rolling over, tugging her with him so that she was draped over his chest. He hugged her and pressed kisses to the top of her head and her brow. Ashley smiled. “You know what? I miss your hair.”
He chuckled. “You can keep missing it. It was a pain to take care of.”
“But you offered me anything.”
He sighed. “It’ll take a few months.”
She propped herself up on her elbow so that she could look down into his face. “What kind of boss would you be with long hair?”
“I’d wear it in a ponytail to work. Besides, I’m the boss. Who’s going to tell me to get a haircut?”
She laughed at him. “Would you really grow your hair back for me?”
“If you asked, yes, I would.”
She ran her fingers over his collarbone. “You don’t have to grow it back. It means so much that you’d even consider it.”
“I’ve never stopped loving you, Ash. I wanted you from the moment I saw you that night at the hospital, but I was…terrified of being hurt again. I couldn’t go through that again.”
She kissed his jaw. “I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.”
“So, you’re taking me back?” she grinned, knowing his answer.
“Yeah, if you’ll take me back.” Stephen stroked a large hand down her spine. “You know, your mother and my mother have something in common.”
She wasn’t sure how this became a discussion of their mothers but she was curious. “What’s that?”
“They’ve both already given me their blessing.”
Her eyebrows rose. “If you’re talking about what I think you’re talking about, my mother I can believe. Your mother, I have a bit more difficulty buying. Though she didn’t seem as objectionable about us as I thought she would be.”
“I think she has mellowed with age.”
“I think she really loves her son.”
He shrugged. “That, too. She offered to help pick out wedding invitations.”
Ashley held her breath. “Is this your way of asking me to marry you?”
“I’m not asking. I’m telling. We’re getting married. And fucking soon. I’m not a complete idiot. I’m not letting you get away from me again.”
Epilogue
Stephen wasn’t kidding when he said soon. Ashley found herself standing at the altar one month later. The wedding was hastily put together yet they were fortunate enough to have all their family and friends attend. They held the wedding in Stephen’s backyard. His mother had to cash in a favor she had with a fashion designer to get Ashley’s wedding dress completed in time. They hired a wedding planner and had to pay extra for the rush. A couple of times, Ashley had despaired of getting everything done and feared the day would be a disaster. She’d even pleaded with Stephen to postpone for just a month or two, but he was adamant that they get married right away. Ashley suspected that if it weren’t for the pressure from their parents that he would have dragged her down to the Justice of the Peace and just been done with it. Though she was stressed, she couldn’t help but be thrilled about how anxious he was to marry her.
In the end, the wedding went off without a hitch. The day of the wedding dawned bright and sunny, banishing Ashley’s concern that it would rain. The last fitting for her dress had been the day before and the dress was perfect. It was more than she could have hoped for. They managed to get a quartet of violinists, who’d had a last minute cancellation, to provide music for the ceremony. Her father walked her down the aisle and she almost cried, she was so happy that he was alive to witness her marriage. She did cry during her vows when she noticed that Stephen was tearing up as well.
At the reception, which was held at a hotel that Stephen’s mother often frequented when in town, Ashley knew one moment of anxiety when it was Jeremy’s turn to give his best man speech. But he shocked her by saying that he had always known that she was the one for Stephen and then warmly wishing them the best. Ashley knew her mouth was hanging open in surprise. Stephen laughed and with a fingertip to her chin, pushed her mouth closed and gave her a kiss. When Jeremy sat down next to his wife, Ashley noticed Jacqueline clapping. Then the other woman winked at her. Ashley wondered what the other woman had said to Jeremy to bring him around.
They honeymooned in the Swiss Alps. She’d let Stephen choose the destination since he’d been effectively shut out of the wedding plans by her, his mother, and her mother. She was surprised that he hadn’t chosen a beach location, but she was immediately taken with the beautiful scenery. Stephen rented a chalet and she finally understood that he’d chosen this spot for privacy. Not that it matter. The majority of their time was spent in making love in bed or curled up in front of the fireplace with a hot cup of cocoa. They did occasionally venture out for hikes and snowball fights. As she’d never been skied before, Stephen took it upon himself to give her lessons. She learned well enough not to fall down, but it was time to return home before she became truly proficient.
They had been married for two months when Ashley realized that she was pregnant. She was ninety-nine percent sure that Stephen would be happy about the pregnancy, but the one percent kept nagging at her. After all, they had never discussed having children and they surely hadn’t discussed having them this early in their marriage.
To soften him up for the possible shock, she gave the servants the night off and prepared steak and potatoes for dinner. Stephen arrived home shortly after five. His days of staying at the office until seven or eight were over. And he often took Fridays off or came home shortly after lunch. Then he would take her driving with no destination in mind. She couldn’t have asked for a more attentive or loving husband.
He greeted her at the door with a smile and a lingering kiss. “I love you,” he said. He told her in the morning before he left for work, when he came home, and just before they fell asleep at night, but she never tired of hearing it.
“I love you, too.”
He pulled her close and buried his face in her neck. “You smell delicious and so does dinner. I don’t know what I want to eat first.”
She giggled. “Let’s start with dinner.”
“Give me a moment to wash up. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.” They only used the dining room when they had guests. When it was just the two of them, they preferred to eat at the small breakfast table in the kitchen.
Ashley set the table and got them both glasses of tea while she waited for Stephen. When he entered the kitchen, she noticed that he had changed out of his suit and into a t-shirt and sweatpants. She thought he was sexy no matter what she wore.
Without her having to ask, he helped her serve and within minutes they were sitting down to eat. “How was your day? Are you finished with the math app you were working on?” he asked before picking up his knife and cutting into his steak.
“Yes.”
“So what’s up next?”
“I was thinking of taking a bit of a hiatus.” She popped a bite of potato in her mouth.
&nbs
p; He smiled a little. “Are you growing bored with it already?”
She shrugged. “I was thinking undertaking another project.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?” He sipped his tea.
Ashley took a deep breath. She watched him carefully. “Motherhood.”
Stephen sputtered and almost choked on his tea. “Ash-”
“Well, you’re the one who never wanted to use protection. And what with all the wedding plans and then the honeymoon, I guess I forgot-”
“Are you saying you’re already expecting?” His eyes dropped to her stomach though he couldn’t see it below the table. At her nod, he rounded the table and drew her up into his arms. “Oh, baby.”
Ashley hugged him back. “Does this mean you’re happy? Because we never discussed children and this was unplanned-”
“Of course I’m happy.” He peppered her face with kisses before covering her mouth for a long drugging kiss, his tongue plunging deep.
Ashley moaned. His erection pressed against her belly. She rubbed against him. “You know what I like about sweatpants?” she asked him a bit breathlessly.
“No, what?”
“Easy accessibility.”
He tossed his head back and laughed. “Then I’ll wear them for you every day.”
She wiggled her hand into his sweats and gripped his shaft, stroking him firm and sure.
Stephen broke off with a deep groan. “Oh, shit. I’ll wear them every day for me.” He bent and picked her up.
They were almost to the bedroom when she remembered that they had been in the middle of eating dinner. “The food will get cold,” Ashley protested.
Stephen didn’t pause. He kicked the bedroom door closed behind them and then carefully deposited Ashley on their bed. He tossed off his t-shirt and joined her. “I have my priorities, woman. And loving you will always be number one.”
Thanks so much for reading! For updates on what I’m writing and on release dates, visit my blog http://thayerking.blogspot.com/, or follow me on Twitter @ThayerKing or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Thayer-King-101767313312142/
Coming 2017
Undeniable
Anais Heart and Kyle Gray agree that their blind date is a bust. His eyes are ice cold. He speaks in grunts and he's covered in tattoos. Convinced he's a criminal, Anais never wants to see him again. And she's...well, she's hot, but she's far too superficial as far as Kyle is concerned. Besides, he just started a business in a new town--he doesn't have time for women.
But it's hard to avoid people in a small town. The two keep running into each other. Pretty soon the chemistry between Anais and Kyle explodes into a passion that she wants to ignore and that he finds undeniable.
Chapter One
“Seriously, Anais, you’ve got to let me set you up with someone. After all, you did find Stuart for me.”
Anais Heart unpacked the last jar of her homemade, all natural hand cream onto the shelf and turned the jars so that their labels faced front. Only then did she direct her attention to her best friend and employee. “I didn’t find Stuart. He just walked into the shop and I introduced you.” He’d been shopping for his mother. Through the course of their conversation he had mentioned that he liked shopping for antiques. Since she knew that antiques were one of Nicole’s favorite topics, she had quickly introduced the two. Personally, she hated antiques. They gave her the creeps. Why would she want someone else’s old crap?
Nicole and Stuart had hit it off right away. That was six months ago. She sometimes missed her friend, but there was no denying the happy glow dating Stuart had given her. Plus, this meant she no longer had to spend her weekends with Nicole dragging her to yard sales, flea markets, antique shops, and estate sales.
“Anais, you can’t tell me you don’t want someone special in your life. I mean, when was the last time you had a date?”
Anais folded the box she’d used to transport her goods from her home to the store. “Ha, I’ve got you there. It was three weeks ago.”
Nicole frowned. “What was his name?”
She couldn’t remember. She’d met him through an online dating site. They’d met for ice cream at the mall a few towns over. Their date didn’t last long since he’d lied about his age. Instead of being thirty-two as he’d claimed, he was actually fifty-four. He’d used his son’s picture in his profile. Apparently, since he’d dyed his hair black, he thought he could pass for a man twenty years his junior. It was a real shame, too, because he’d seemed like such a gentleman in all the messages they had exchanged. He had been her first and last foray into online dating. None of the other men she’d talked to had even sparked her interest as it was clear that they were only interested in hooking up for sex. “That’s not important. But it was a date.”
“Couldn’t have been that good if you can’t remember the guy’s name. You should let me find you someone. I know you better than anyone else.”
Anais flipped the sign on the door to declare that A. Heart Natural Cosmetics was open for the day. She paused in the act of unlocking the door, grinding her teeth and wincing at the noise coming from across the street. “What exactly was the point of going through the process of beautifying the town and then letting that shop open right in the middle of it?” She had tolerated the months of renovation the old building had undergone with the understanding that the noise would stop once the construction was complete. Little did she know they were opening an auto body shop. The noise was fairly loud and pretty consistent.
Nicole came to stare out the window though there was little to see. The garage doors were down. “I don’t suppose there is anything they can do about the noise. It’s a small town. Sound carries—especially in the morning. And we’re not in the middle of town. We’re at the end of town.”
She ignored that bit of logic. “I have half a mind to go over there and-”
“Anais, please, don’t. I’m sure there’s nothing they can do about it. We don’t want to start off on the wrong foot with them. The mayor was just over there this weekend for their official ribbon cutting.”
“How do you know that?”
“I was driving by. They were giving out hot dogs and all sorts of paraphernalia with their logo and phone number on it.”
Anais grumbled and unlocked the door. She went behind the checkout counter and Nicole followed her. “I’m telling you, I don’t know how long I can put up with that noise. Maybe I should look into relocating the store.” Her location wasn’t paramount to her business. She did a fair amount of online sales.
“Not if you don’t want to have to live through renovations. You know most of the buildings in town are falling in on themselves. That’s why the mayor was so thrilled to have them move in across the street. And I would think you would have enough construction going on at home that you wouldn’t want to have to deal with it at work as well.”
She sighed. “You’re right.” She’d been bequeathed a Queen Anne style Victorian house by her great aunt. The house was beautiful but unfortunately her aunt had been unable to afford the upkeep and much of it was in a shambles. Despite her dislike of antiques, Anais loved the house and decided to keep it. And it was a gift. It would be poor taste to turn around and sell it. In the year that she had owned it, she had managed to make it safe. The remaining changes were largely cosmetic.
“Now that you’ve managed to change the subject for ten whole minutes, what is your objection to me setting you up? I think I know the perfect guy for you.”
Anais groaned. She couldn’t come up with a good excuse. It wasn’t that she had given up on dating. She was close to thirty. Twenty-eight to be exact. All of her friends except Nicole were married with kids. And as close and Nicole and Stuart had become, Anais could sense that marriage wasn’t far off.
She was looking for something serious. She was tired of wasting her time dating. She wanted to meet someone she could spend her life with. She didn’t even want to think about her ticking biological clock. As an only child, she wanted mor
e than one kid. She didn’t want to panic, but she saw no reason to believe that she would suddenly meet someone special now any more than she had the previous five or so years. Unfortunately, she lived in a small town. She knew most of the eligible African American men already and she couldn’t think of a one with whom she was compatible. “Who is he?”
Nicole bounced on her toes and clapped her hands. Her thick blonde hair floating about her face. “He’s new in town. He’s handsome. This is going to be so good.”
***
Kyle Gray couldn’t believe he’d agreed to this shit. How had he let Stuart talk him into this? Oh, that’s right. He owed his cousin a favor for letting him know about the grants available for renovating buildings in town. He’d needed the opportunity since his life seemed to be going nowhere up north. He’d been working at the same place for almost ten years and he’d known he would be working there forever without ever advancing if he didn’t make a change. The only other thing holding him there had been his mother and they weren’t close.
He smoothed a hand over his head. He’d gotten a buzz cut recently because it was low maintenance. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the text from his cousin again. The lady’s name was Anais and she would be wearing an eggplant dress. Kyle almost shook his head at his cousin’s attention to detail. Why couldn’t the man just say purple?
They were meeting at the town’s one and only bar/restaurant. It didn’t exactly qualify as fine dining, but the only other options were fast food and a family restaurant. The idea was to keep it casual and share a drink.
Kyle supposed he had no true objections to the set up. Since turning thirty-two last year he’d begun to think seriously of getting married and starting a family. Unfortunately, women took one look at him and assumed he wanted nothing but sex. That might have been true when he was younger, but he was tired of casual hook ups.
The timing was a bit difficult for him. He was still settling into a new place and opening his own business. For the moment, making his business a success had to be his top priority. He’d sunk all of his savings into the endeavor and he had no room for failure.