Everyone said, “We will,” and Mason instructed them to sit back down.
“We’ve come to the point of your ceremony where you’re going to say your vows to one another. But before you do, I ask you to remember that love will be the foundation of a long-lasting and deepening relationship. No other ties are more tender, no other vows more sacred than those you will now undertake. If you are able to keep the vows you take here today—”
“I thought we were cutting to the chase?” Rhys asked, cutting Mason off.
I chuckled because I was thinking the same thing. This ceremony was probably longer than a Catholic ceremony.
“Okay, then say your vows.” Mason shook his head and smiled.
Rhys grinned at me, and I instantly became nervous because I never knew what was going to come out of his mouth. And I was right.
He started to sing.
“You came in like a wrecking ball …”
Everyone started to laugh, and I rolled my eyes, but he continued. “Kidding! But seriously, Cupcake. I could sing you every love song written and none of them would ever tell you how much I love you. You’re my slice of heaven, my infinity, my universe, and nothing will ever change that. No crazy ex,” he waved in the direction of where Corey had made his grand entrance, “no stalkers. No one. No one will ever take you away from me. Today, tomorrow, when we’re eighty years old, I’ll still be loving you. And I vow to you that when I’m six feet under, I’ll still be loving you because you, Ashtyn Valor, are my life and nothing will change that.”
Tears started to stream down my face at how real his words really were. Three times he was put in a situation that could have ended with him six feet deep, and just the memory was enough to close my throat and prevent me from speaking.
“Ashtyn?” Mason said after a few seconds.
I swallowed, and Rhys wiped the tears from both of my cheeks, and just his touch was enough to remind me that he wasn’t taken from me and he was there standing in front of me confessing his heart out.
“Today and every day, I think about how lucky I am that last year we both thought alcohol was the answer. But looking back, the answer wasn’t drowning our sorrows. The answer was finding each other. You brought the light that I needed to see my future, and here we are, about to officially be husband and wife, and all I can think is that nothing can change it because this is how it was meant to be.”
I took a breath and wiped the tears that continued to fall. “Forever will never be long enough because as long as there are stars in the sky, I will love you. You may be six feet under still loving me, but I will be right beside you. Without you, I wouldn’t be whole, and I vow I’ll need you for as long as I’m breathing.”
“May we get the rings?” Mason asked.
Kenny and Jaime handed us each the proper rings, and then we repeated after Mason about the rings being a reminder of each other’s love and then we slipped the band on each other’s left hand.
“By the power of your love and commitment, and the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss each other!”
Rhys took a step forward, cupped my face with both hands and kissed the ever-loving shit out of me. Then we partied as though nothing had ever happened with Corey. Our cake was made out of cupcakes, of course, and even though it was a crazy night, I was finally Mrs. Ashtyn Cole.
Exactly where the game ended.
Three Years Later
“I’m going to get you!” I warned, chasing the screaming toddler in a circle that went from our dining room, through the kitchen, into the living room, the entryway and then back into the dining room.
Dylan screamed and laughed his response.
“You better go,” I warned again.
“Daddy!” Dylan laughed again. “No!”
I was trying to wear the ball of energy down because Ashtyn and I had a wedding to go to and my mother was coming over to watch him for the night.
Kenny and Abby were taking the plunge. It took Kenny two years to propose, and I was surprised he didn’t do it sooner, but they weren’t on the high-speed roller coaster Ashtyn and I were on. I don’t think anyone was on the ride with us, but I wouldn’t change it.
Corey went to prison and got thirty-seven years for trying to kill me. Ashtyn is now the lead anchor for the evening news, and yours truly has eight Emmys now. Ashtyn has ten, but who’s counting? We got hitched, and then two months later we were pregnant with Dylan. We’re now expecting another. I was hoping for a girl because Romi wasn’t planning on having any more kids. Ethan and Carter only had boys, and both my mother and Ashtyn’s mom begged us over and over to birth a girl as though I could talk to my sperm and tell them they’d better produce a baby with a vagina or else.
“All right, stinker. It’s time to take a nap so I can shower with Mommy.”
“Shower. Mommy?”
I picked him up and started to walk upstairs. “We’re saving water, buddy, because you’re trying to eat us out of house and home. You need to get a job.”
Dylan laughed.
“I know. Your old man is funny.”
“Funny!” he agreed.
I placed Dylan in his crib. “Be a good boy and go night-night, okay?”
He stared up at me and then started to sit up.
“No, no. Close your eyes and when you open them after you wake up, Grammy will be here.”
“Grammy?”
“Yeah, buddy. Uncle Kenny and Auntie Abby are making it official, and I need to make sure he doesn’t chicken out.”
“Chicken nuggets.”
I laughed. “Grammy will make you some for dinner. Take a little nappy, okay?” I gave him his brown teddy bear. “Boo Bear is sleepy. Take a nap with him.”
Dylan snuggled closer to Boo Bear and then closed his eyes. I wasn’t sure if it was my words, the fucking bear, or the fact that I’d chased him around the house for ten minutes. Whatever it was, meant it was go time to save water.
“We need to hurry,” I informed Ashtyn, slipping into the shower behind her.
“I’m ready,” she replied and pushed me until I was sitting on the built-in shower seat. “But you’re not.”
We both looked down at my crotch. “Nothing your mouth can’t fix.”
Ashtyn smirked and without another word got on her knees and then grabbed my dick. It started to harden right away. She sucked. She licked. She did some flicks with her tongue over the tip, and sure enough, I was now rock hard.
“We’re not saving water,” I pointed out.
“What?” she asked, my cock popping out of her mouth.
“Nothing. Suck, baby. Suck.”
Ashtyn returned to her task, running her tongue along the underside of my shaft. She added her hand, stroking me in sync with her bobbing head.
“Fuck,” I groaned and leaned my head back against the tiled wall.
“Mmmm,” she moaned, sending a vibration down my entire dick and straight to my balls. Ashtyn cupped my sack and started to massage. I was getting closer and closer to coming, but then she stopped. Without a word, she stood, straddled my hips and then guided herself down and around my cock.
Bareback.
Fucking best feeling in the entire world.
The first time Ashtyn let me go without a condom was on our honeymoon. She’d asked me what I thought about making our fourth bedroom a nursery, and I was all for it. That afternoon—and the rest of our honeymoon in Hawaii, was spent trying to make Dylan. We didn’t conceive him on that trip, but two months of trying led to me getting to go another nine months without a rubber. After Ashtyn had Dylan, she got on the pill, and just five months ago we decided to try to have another.
Once you go bareback, you never go back.
Now, as I look down at our adjoining hips, her little belly was sticking out, and pride started to swell in my chest. I’m not much of a crier—didn’t shed a tear when I was shot, but the day Dylan was born, I cried like a fucking baby.
“Yeah, baby,”
I encouraged.
Ashtyn was rocking back and forth making my cock go as deep as it could. Her breasts were bouncing in my face, and I latched onto one of them, needing to taste her. Any part of her. Didn’t fucking matter. I loved every inch of this woman.
“I’m close,” she panted.
“Me too,” I replied and grabbed her ass, spreading her wider.
She moaned against my neck and came as she bowed into me. I was right behind her, spilling into her pussy like cream being piped into a cupcake. To this day, I can’t look at a cupcake and not think of Ashtyn Cole, my wife, my soulmate.
Abby was officially Mrs. Kenny Blackwell.
No one had objected to their union, and now after dinner was served, Ashtyn and I were dancing on the dance floor before we needed to head home. The DJ started to play When A Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge, and as Percy sang the words that I felt to my core about Ashtyn, we swayed our hips that were pressed together.
“Remember what I told you the night we met?” I asked into her ear.
She pulled her head off my shoulder. “You asked me a lot of questions, but what are you referring to?”
I smiled warmly. Ain’t it funny how life changes? One minute you want to drawn your anger away with alcohol, and the next you meet the one person who’s your reason for breathing. The person who is the center of your universe.
“I told you that you were going to make some guy really happy one day. And you know what?”
“What?”
“You have.”
The End.
*Keep reading for a sneak peek of By Invitation Only by Kimberly!
,
I hope you’ve enjoyed Use Me. If you would be so kind to leave a review where you’d purchased this book as well as Goodreads, I would greatly appreciate it. Honest reviews help other readers find my books and your support means the world to me.
Please subscribe to either my blog, newsletter or both to stay up-to-date on all of my releases. You can find the links on my website at www.authorkimberlyknight.com. You can also follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorKKnight.
Until we meet again, friends.
Kimberly
I always start with my husband because he’s the one that has supported me through this journey. This past year you’ve worked your butt off so I could continue to live my dream. I’m thankful each day that eHarmony matched us all those years ago. I love you, you know?
To my editor, Jennifer Roberts-Hall: You’re the best! I know that was short and sweet, but it’s true! You just know how to make me better.
To my best friend, Lea Cabalar: Thank you for doing my grunt work so I have time to write! I miss you! Girl’s trip soon?
To Cristiane Saavedra: Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart everything you do for me. You truly are a friend and so happy that a fictional character brought us together. Can’t wait to meet you in person in June.
To my alpha betas, Carrie Waltenbaugh, Kerri McLaughlin, Kristin Jones, Stacy Nickelson and Stephanie Brown: Thank you so much for all the hours you put into making this story the best possible story and telling me my ideas suck when they did. Truly, I couldn’t have written this book without you all.
To my betas, Jill and Keri: Thank you for making sure the story made sense. I appreciate the time it took you and the feedback!
To all the bloggers who participated in my cover reveal, release day blitz and review tour, thank you! Without bloggers, I have no idea where I would be. You’ve all taken a chance on me and my books time and time again, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.
To Richard Allen, Veronica Eichman and Lindsey Wheeler: Thank you for letting my pick your brains to get the story as close to reality as possible.
To Jeremy Roenick: I hope you don’t mind me using you in my book. You’ll probably never read it, but just know that I’m thankful to have seen you play.
And finally, to my readers: Thank you for believing in me and taking a chance on my books again and again. Without you guys, I wouldn’t still be writing and living my dream.
Club 24 Series – Romantic Suspense
Perfect Together – The Club 24 Series Box Set (Books #1-6)
Halo Series – Contemporary Romance
Saddles & Racks Series – Romantic Suspense
By Invitation Only – Erotic Romance Standalone
Use Me – Romantic Suspense Standalone
And more …
Kimberly Knight is a USA Today Bestselling Author who lives in the mountains near a lake with her loving husband and spoiled cat, Precious. In her spare time, she enjoys watching her favorite reality TV shows, watching the San Francisco Giants win World Series and the San Jose Sharks kick butt. She’s also a two time desmoid tumor/cancer fighter that’s made her stronger and an inspiration to her fans. Now that she lives near a lake, she’s working on her tan and doing more outdoor stuff like watching hot guys waterski. However, the bulk of her time is dedicated to writing and reading romance and erotic fiction.
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By
CHAPTER ONE
“So, this bitch gets in my face and demands I tell her what the fuck I’m doing with her man. Demands! Who the fuck is she, thinking she can demand I tell her shit?”
“And let me guess. You need an attorney now?” I took a sip of my cosmo.
My best friend Lorelei, and I had gone to the bar down the street from our work that we frequented almost every Friday night and sometimes for happy hour during the week. Rick’s was everything you would expect from a bar in Beverly Hills. The food was great, the atmosphere was on point, and the drinks were always perfect and made with the best liquors. But what set Rick’s apart from other bars in the area, and what kept Lorelei and I coming back, was the vodka tasting room.
It wasn’t just a room. It was a walk-in glass freezer designed solely for vodka in its purest form. They gave out faux fur coats to wear in the twenty-eight degree box, and a vodka expert spent around fifteen minutes giving tastings and information regarding the hundred or so different vodkas that were lined along white leathered shelves. It was a neat experience. Lore and I had only done it once, but since it was a glass case, we watched people do it all the time.
Lorelei waved me off. “No, I don’t need an attorney. Before I could do anything, Tom got in her face and told her to back the fuck up.”
“Oh. Does he need a lawyer now?”
“No.” She rolled her chocolate brown eyes. “You don’t even practice criminal defense.”
“Fine,” I agreed. “Continue.”
“This chick burst into tears. Tears! In the middle of the club.”
“Wow …” I breathed, flipping my long, dark hair over my shoulder. “Why did she cry?”
Lore shrugged. “I guess they recently broke up and she’s still in love with him. Funny thing, I don’t care. I’m never going out with that dude again. I don’t need that shit in my life.”
I chuckled. “Gotta love online dating.”
“Right?” She took a sip of her cosmo. “And what guy takes a girl to a club on their first date? I mean, I like to dance and drink as much as the next girl, but I’m not putting out unless they at least feed me.”
“You’re too much.” I laughed.
“That’s why you love me.” She grinned and smoothed her hair down.
“I love you because you save my ass on a daily basis.”
“I do save your ass daily,” she agreed with a laugh.
We had been working for a family law firm in Beverly Hills for over five years. We met the day she was hired by Chandler & Patterson, LLP as my paralegal. She was my eyes to make sure I didn’t screw up any pleadings, and my paper pusher, making sure my client files are in date order and pristine—among other things. And she’s my best friend.
Some firms frowned upon attorneys friending “lower” colleagues, but not C&P. When an assistant worked well with the person they were assisting, it was like a well-oiled machine.
Chandler and Patterson was a high-profile law firm that represented well-known famous actors/actresses, directors, musicians or other people in the limelight getting divorced and/or had custody issues. Given our clientele, we also specialized in prenuptial agreements and tried to do mediation when we could. Most of our clients didn’t want the public to know what was going on in their marital lives.
I got into law because of my father. Before he retired, he was a criminal defense attorney for twenty plus years, and then a judge in Los Angeles. I wanted to follow in his footsteps, and while I didn’t practice criminal defense, my ultimate goal was to become a family law judge one day.
“So, did the chick leave or what?” I was interested in hearing the end of the story since my dating life was shit. Shit meaning I went on dates that never led anywhere. I either didn’t like the dude, or once he found out what I did for a living, it turned him off because he assumed I’d take him for all he was worth if we ever got a divorce in the end. Sure I knew what to do and what not to do when it came to the financial aspects of a marriage, but not all marriages ended in divorce. Needless to say, those guys weren’t the right ones for me.
Lorelei snorted. “I don’t know. She ran off crying, and I didn’t see where she went. Tom bought me a few more drinks, we danced, and then I went home.”
“Alone?” I smirked.
She furrowed her eyebrows. “Yes, alone. The guy had no potential. He was cute and all, but I don’t have time for girlfriend drama. I’m too old for that shit.” I was two years older than her thirty, so I was too old for that shit too.
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