by Alexis Anne, Audra North, Julia Kelly, Alexandra Haughton
When I was so wet and hot I could barely stop myself from rolling my hips, Owen stood up and rolled on a condom. The fire in his eyes was unmistakable. “I can hear you thinking from here. What’s going on in that gorgeous head of yours?”
I moved to the center of the bed and waited until Owen was positioned above me before I answered. “You’re not worried about spending so much time together?”
He snorted as if I’d just asked the silliest question he’d ever heard. “Not in the least.”
“Why?”
He smiled and pressed his throbbing erection against my very wet and waiting core. “Do you not realize how much time we spend together as it is?”
I tilted my hips so that he had no choice but to slide inside me a little. “Well, we do talk every morning.”
“For an hour, Alice. We spend at least an hour on the phone every single morning.” He pushed inside and I gasped, digging my nails into his shoulders as I adjusted to his very welcome invasion. “I tell you about my night while you get dressed. You tell me about your dreams and your plans for the day. How many couples spend that kind of time together in the morning?” He was breathless and lowered his head to drop soft kisses on my neck as he pumped into me over and over.
I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe. Despite my suggestion, I didn’t want everyone to listen to my orgasm. And it was really, really hard to keep from screaming out Owen’s name when I felt this good.
Every stroke was magic. Every kiss was a jolt of electricity. Every single bit of it lighting me up and leading me straight to mind-blowing pleasure.
“You text me after every single one of your classes, and I text you when I wake up. I write you an email every day letting you know exactly what song I’m working on in my head and what it would look like in pictures. You send me articles about science and history so that I can learn more about what it is that you do. I want to know all about your world.”
I nodded. Everything he was saying was true. I knew it was. But it wasn’t until he strung it all together in that way, that I realized what he meant. Even with thousands of miles between us, Owen and I spent our days together. We shared everything we could. We were invested in each other. He always shared the new music he was working on with me. He was the first person I wanted to talk to when something happened.
So being in the same city for the next six weeks wasn’t going to be any different.
“And our nights better not change,” he said as he licked a line up my throat and plunged his tongue into my mouth for a filthy kiss that set off my climax. I shuddered and moaned, but his kiss caught it all, muffling it so that our dirty nap remained a secret.
I returned the favor as he came. I loved how it felt when he lost control inside me. It was so intense and primal. So very intimate. His thrusts slowed almost to a stop as he pulled back to look into my eyes.
“Every night we go over the day and then I sing you a lullaby before we say goodnight. I don’t ever, ever want that to change.”
Chapter 3
“So your band is called Jetsons Seven?” my mother’s best friend Buffy asked from across the dinner table, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Like the cartoon?”
“No actually, we’re called Jettison Seven.”
“What does that mean?” she asked with wide eyes. Clearly she didn’t listen to the radio.
Owen took it in stride as he devoured a dinner roll. “It’s actually a nod to our favorite video game.”
“Oh! Like an easter egg.” She nodded furiously. “Like they did on that show Lost. I loved that show. Although I never understood any of the references.”
“Yes. It’s kind of like that,” he chuckled. “Our fans enjoy the connection and we leave references to it in a lot of our lyrics.”
“Do you have a lot of fans?” she blinked.
I choked on my food. “Buffy, Owen’s band has had six Billboard number one songs and their album went triple platinum. They have millions of fans all over the world.”
Her mouth fell open. “I had no idea. Jettison Seven? Have I heard any of your songs?”
That had to be one of the strangest questions. How would we know what songs she knew? But before I could answer Owen replied with a warm lilt that made my heart beat a little bit faster. “A lot of people are familiar with our song “Midnight Sun” because it was featured in the Luke Harrington movie last year.”
Buffy shrieked. “Oh my God! I do know that song. I love that song. That’s you!” She leapt up out of her chair and ran over to hug Owen. His eyes bugged out of his head at first, but then he patted her on the back and let her hug him for far longer than was appropriate.
“Buffy,” my mother called. “Perhaps you could let our guest return to his food?”
She giggled like a teenager and blushed, letting go of Owen and apologizing.
We’d all just settled back into our dinner when Patrick cleared his throat. “So how does this work? How much of your life is spent on the road?”
It felt like an invasion of privacy the way he asked it. As if he were inquiring about the intimate details of our relationship. How and when we’d be together. None of it was his problem or his business. I wanted to tell him to shove a dinner roll in his mouth, but Owen slid a hand onto my thigh and gave it a comforting squeeze.
“Not as much as you’d think, actually. We just finished a huge tour, and yeah, we’ve essentially been living out of our suitcases for the last year, but now we’re done. The band is off for the next four months and I won’t start working on new music for a couple of months. Once I’ve got something for us to work with, we’ll collaborate. The entire process tends to take us about six months to a year. None of that will be on the road.”
“But you’ll have meetings. Maybe even recording in other studios?” Patrick pressed.
Owen took a swig of beer. “Perhaps. But I’ve made my life with Alice a priority. I’m setting up roots with her. The band is already on board with recording out of the studio in Tallahassee. Yeah, we’ll probably start playing shows again in about a year, and then we’ll have another major tour to support the album, but by then Alice and I will be married and I’m hoping she’ll be able to come on part of the tour.”
My eyebrows shot to my hairline.
My mother sputtered. “Did you just say married? Alice!”
I didn’t say anything because I was speechless. This was the first I’d heard of it, but I was surprised by how natural it felt. It didn’t terrify me. In fact, I kind of liked the idea.
Owen shot me a grin. “I mean, there’s no sense in dragging this out. I love you. You love me. We’re perfect. We should probably just go and get married this weekend and call it a day.”
“This weekend?” I squeaked out, even more surprised that I wanted to say yes to this bizarre pseudo-proposal.
“Actually, no,” he shook his head with a smile. “Let’s do it next weekend. Either New Years Eve or New Years Day. Your choice.” He squeezed my leg again as he looked deep into my eyes. “I’m fucking serious, babe. I knew the minute I kissed you that first time that there’d never be another one like you in my life. I know some assholes don’t like uncertainty or impulsiveness, but it’s how I like to live. I believe in my gut and I follow it. That’s how I made, saved, and invested millions.” He shot a pointed look at Patrick, who, much to my satisfaction, had the good sense to snap his mouth shut.
“I won’t let my crazy rock star life control us. I’ve made my mark and I’ve saved my money. That means I get to say where and when I travel. If I travel. My gut says you’re the love of my life. There’s never been anyone sweeter or smarter than you. I look forward to seeing your face every morning, and my favorite part of every day is listening to your breathing deepen as I sing you a song each night.”
Buffy sighed dramatically.
Inside I was sighing, too.
“I’ll live in Tallahassee or Cincinnati or the moon. Wherever you go, I go. Let’s make an amazing life together
.” He pushed back his chair and dropped to his knee. “Alice Thomas-Wright, will you marry me?”
I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him. “You bet your sweet ass I will. New Years Eve. In Vegas.”
And then, as if he hadn’t shocked the hell out of me enough, Owen pulled a ring out of his pocket. A simple, beautiful diamond ring.
He really did know he wanted to spend his life with me. I loved how sure Owen was of everything. “Vegas it is, my love.”
Chapter 4
My parents were not pleased with our rushed wedding, but they flew out to Vegas anyway. Owen flew out everyone that mattered. My parents and his. My soon-to-be-former roommate Scarlet, who was the one who fixed us up in the first place. Scarlet’s brother, who was Owen’s college roommate. All of Jettison Seven and their families.
For a last minute wedding, I thought we had a fairly large guest list.
And because nothing about our courtship had been normal, neither was our noon wedding. Owen wore a tux, but without the tie. His collar was undone in the sexiest way possible. I didn’t wear white. Instead I wore a beautiful sapphire blue dress that made me feel like the most beautiful woman that ever lived.
We ate sushi and chocolate pudding. And Jettison Seven played all the music.
But that wasn’t my favorite part of the wedding. Oh sure, the vows were sweet and the party was amazing, but it was only the beginning. After things started to die down, we snuck up to our room and changed.
And when I say changed, I mean we undressed each other with our tongues and fingers until we came undone in every way possible. Then we changed into blue jeans and t-shirts and rolled our bags downstairs. The concierge would get our bags to Scarlet, who was bringing them home for us. Then he arranged for Owen’s red motorcycle to be brought up out of the garage.
“You ready for this?” he grinned down at me as I zipped up my black leather motorcycle jacket.
“Am I ready? I’ve been ready since the moment we met.”
“This is why we’re perfect for each other.” He planted a firm kiss on my lips. “The weather should be nice until we reach Palm Springs.”
We were going on a slow motorcycle honeymoon and I couldn’t wait to get started.
Owen’s eyes flashed with mischief as the valet rode up on his trademark red motorcycle. He’d had it trailered out the day after Christmas just so we could do this.
The valet looked sad as he handed off the keys. “That is a beautiful piece of machinery. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Jones. Enjoy your trip.”
Owen slipped him a tip before turning and helping me up onto the bike. He stopped to kiss me one more time before I slid on my helmet. “I’m the happiest man in the world. I can’t wait to see what we do next.”
“As long as we keep living like this, life together will be a great adventure.” I wrapped my arms around his waist as he revved up the engine and drove us out onto the strip as the sun started to sink into the western sky.
Marrying Owen was just the beginning of the rest of our lives and I couldn’t wait to get started.
About Alexis Anne
Alexis Anne is the author of the steamy The Storm Inside series and the sexy Tease serials. Her latest serial, Tempt, was featured on Cosmopolitan.com. A recovering archaeologist, she loves writing stories about passionate people overcoming mistakes and finding where they belong (amidst some equally passionate sexy-times). Her heroines are smart, her heroes are strong, and her stories are always close to her own life experiences. She lives in Florida with The Sexy Editor, their two super heroes, and a dog who would be much happier in the snow (although he seems okay with the beach). AlexisAnneBooks.com
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Also by Alexis Anne
The Storm Inside (Free)
Reflected in the Rain
When Lightning Strikes
Tease: Volume 1
Tease: The Box Set
Stripped: The Box Set
Tempt: Volume 1
Tempt: Volume 2
Tempt: Volume 3
Tempt: Volume 4
Tempt: Volume 5
Tempt: The Box Set
Simply Having
Audra North
Astrid Faber isn’t expecting any miracles this Christmas. With her parents gone, she’s never felt as alone as she does this holiday season. But when she finds herself struggling to get her lonely little Christmas tree up the stairs into her apartment, her elusive hot neighbor, Simon James, appears just in time to help lift the tree—and her spirits. But can Simon ease her heart long enough for Astrid to allow herself to simply have a wonderful Christmas?
Chapter 1
The wind whipped down Sacramento Street and blew directly up into Astrid Faber’s peacoat, making her shudder and curse as the damp, chilly air froze and cramped her belly.
“Stupid cold snap,” she muttered to herself, dropping the heavy fir tree she’d been dragging behind her so that she could wind her scarf more tightly around her neck.
Not that San Francisco winters were really that cold, even with the unwelcome northern front that had moved in overnight and added a bite to the foggy skies this morning. She’d survived twenty-three Michigan winters before she’d moved out West, after all. But five years in a temperate place like this was apparently enough to make a girl go soft. At least she only had one more block to go. For all that she worked out regularly and walked everywhere, this tree was a much heavier burden to carry than she’d expected.
She refused to acknowledge the symbolism in that thought.
She sighed and grabbed the tree again, hauling it forward by the trunk. She knew she should be outraged and possibly organizing a protest against the offensive number of layers of environmentally harmful plastic netting and sheeting that the church group had wrapped the tree with, but at the moment all she felt was gratitude. The plastic made it easier to slide it over the pavement without breaking off any branches, and she didn’t want a sad, broken tree. This year, it needed to be perfect.
Now if she could just get it into her apartment…
She slogged forward. By the time she arrived in front of her building, she was winded and her arms were burning. At least she wasn’t cold anymore, though the wind seemed to have picked up. She just had to get it through the main doors and over to the elevator, and then she’d be home free.
But first, she needed to rest again. She dropped the tree against the brick façade and slumped forward, putting her hands on her knees to catch her breath and stretch out her back.
“Are you all right?”
A low, masculine voice reached her ears just before a pair of sneakers came into her line of vision. She jerked upright.
Oh, God. It was him. Simon James, the hottie hot Brit who eight months ago had moved in to the apartment just below hers, and who made her knees go weak at the mere sight of him.
She’d never actually talked to him before. Sure, she’d seen him in the entryway from time to time, but she’d been too intimidated by his intense sexiness to do anything more than wave and duck her head shyly. But now he was standing close and saying words to her, and it was her turn to say words back…
Except the way she’d straightened up, so swiftly after exerting herself for so long…instead of shaking her head and telling him she was just fine, like a normal person would, she found her eyes rolling back as the blood rushed from her head much too quickly, making her lose her balance.
Fuck. I’m about t
o humiliate myself and there’s nothing I can do about it.
That was what came to her mind as she pitched forward, practically slamming into him like a felled tree.
“Unf!” The air whooshed out of him on a grunt as her head hit his chest, but his arms went up around her, grabbing, steadying, holding…
At least he caught me.
Although part of her wished he hadn’t. It might have been better if he’d just stepped aside and abandoned her to die of embarrassment, alone on the concrete next to her environmentally perverse little tree.
She was trying not to notice how good he smelled. Like soap and deodorant and sweat.
So good.
She sighed against his firm, muscled, incredible-smelling chest…
“Do you need me to call a doctor?”
Crap.
Her cheeks burned, and without thinking, she put out a hand to push herself upright.
Uh oh. That was a mistake. She’d never had to work so hard to ignore the way a man’s ab muscles felt beneath her palm. Of course, she’d never felt muscles like his before, either.
She yanked her hand away from his body and took a step back, trying to compose herself, and nodded. “I’m so sorry. I—no, I don’t need a doctor. I’m fine. I was just…well, I didn’t eat breakfast this morning and then I wasn’t really prepared for how cold it is and the tree—”
She stopped abruptly, her eyes widening at the sight of a damp smear on the dark fleece jacket he was wearing that looked suspiciously like snot.
No. No.
She brought her hand up to her nose, praying.
Please, God, don’t let that have come from my—
An unwelcome wetness met her fingers. Her nose had been running—still was, in fact—and she hadn’t even realized.