Good In Bed
Page 101
* * *
Graham
It rains every single day we’re in Florida for Thanksgiving, torrential downpours that keep CJ and I locked in the house with my parents, held captive to hours of embarrassing stories from my youth, endless poker tournaments for pennies, and way too many servings of pie.
And it is unexpectedly . . . perfect.
Mom and Dad love CJ—they especially get a kick out of her All the Fucks I Give T-shirt she wears for luck when we’re playing five-card stud—and CJ loves them. She fits in like she’s slipping into an empty place in our family none of us knew was there until she stepped up.
For Christmas, my parents fly north to enjoy the holidays in the city, and I make sure to get them a hotel near all the Midtown action. We enjoy the tree in Rockefeller Center, the museums, and the Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular, and CJ and I spend our nights alone, keeping each other warm while the snow falls outside. CJ’s cousin Dylan is going to join us for New Year’s Eve, when we have plans to paint the town a wide variety of colors with Campbell and our rowdier friends.
But tonight, it’s just me and my favorite friend.
“Did you get everything you wanted?” I ask her as Christmas Day draws to a close and we head down the hall to bed.
“I already had everything I wanted, but yes, your gifts were perfect, as always.” She presses up on tiptoe to kiss my cheek before adding in a naughty voice, “Although there is one thing I didn’t find under the tree . . .”
I arch a brow, feigning ignorance, though the hand she runs over my ass leaves little doubt what my vixen has in mind. “Oh? And what’s that?”
“You,” she murmurs, lifting her chin. “Naked and at my mercy.”
I kiss her, smiling against her lips. “That can be arranged, Butterfly. Right this very second, in fact.”
And it is.
And I am—at her mercy.
When it comes to CJ, my heart is wide open, defenseless, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Another Epilogue
CJ
Eleven months later…
I tug on a pretty pink sweater, fasten on one of my typewriter necklaces, then give my hair one final fluff.
Appraising my reflection in the mirror, I decide I look pretty damn good for a woman heading to Sunday morning brunch with her roommate.
Laughing at that word—as if it can even begin to encompass the depth of what we share in this home—I head to the living room, stopping to give Stephen King a scratch on the chin.
A quick purr tells me he likes the attention.
“Of course you like attention. You’re a man,” I say, then rub his ears. Good thing I enjoy spoiling the men in my life.
I grab my purse, sling it onto my shoulder, and I’m scanning the room for my phone when it rings loudly from the coffee table. It’s Ted, the weekend doorman.
“There’s a delivery for you.”
“Send it up.”
A few minutes later, I answer the door and thank Ted as I take a slim white box from him. When the door shuts, I tug off the ribbon.
I furrow my brow as I find a number two pencil in it.
What on earth?
There’s a note. Bring the pencil to brunch, my butterfly.
I shrug happily. That’s Graham. He is the king of gifts, and I have to say, I love this special skill of his. Stephen King’s new leather studded collar is proof that Graham can shop his butt off for anyone, or any creature.
Tucking the pencil into my purse, I head uptown to Ruby’s Kitchen, where he said he’d meet me after an early morning workout. We’ve become regulars at Ruby’s. After that first brunch when I was too shocked by the audacity of my proposal to eat, we’ve made it a point to rarely miss the eggs and French toast there.
Both are delish.
When I arrive, I gaze across the bowed heads of the diners, but I don’t see the handsome cut of Graham’s jaw, or the fantastic mess of brown hair I love to run my hands through. But I know he’ll be here soon.
I tell the hostess I’m here for a party of two, and she guides me to a table right away. I take a seat, smoothing my hand over the white tablecloth, remembering the time I asked him to teach me.
That felt wild and crazy then. I would never have expected to be back here almost a year later, tending a wonderful love that grows stronger and deeper every day.
But it does.
It most certainly does.
“Miss Murphy?”
I look up at the young face of a waiter. “Yes. Good morning.”
“I have something for you.” He hands me another white box, tied with a silver ribbon this time. It’s bigger than the one sent to the house, about the size to hold a shirt or sweater.
Gently, I tug at the bow, letting it fall open. I reach inside to find . . .
A black composition notebook?
My brow pinches as I pick it up and read the front.
A new lesson plan.
I’m flipping it open when a voice I know well lands on my ears. “There’s something I want you to teach me.”
Graham stands next to me, looking as handsome as ever in jeans and a navy blue button-down, rolled up at the cuffs.
“And what would that be? How to order a double order of French toast? Because I can do that, since I’m starving.” I laugh, gesturing to the chair across from me, but he remains standing. “Don’t you want to sit down?”
He shakes his head. “I want to kneel.”
He drops to one knee, and I gasp. My eyes turn to saucers as he opens his palm. Another box. A small, blue velvet one. “Teach me how to cherish you, to love you, and to honor you every day of our lives for as long as we both shall live.”
Tears don’t even have the courtesy to wait. They roll down my cheeks as he takes out a gorgeous emerald-cut diamond.
“Will you marry me?”
“Yes. Yes. Yes,” I say, as he slides it onto my finger and I wrap my arms around him. “But you don’t need lessons in anything. You’re already perfect for me. In every single way.”
* * *
Graham
Sometimes I compare my life to the movies. I turn to my favorite heroes for guidance on what they might do in a given situation.
When I think of my favorite films, there’s no question which one I’m starring in right now.
Every chick flick ever made.
And I couldn’t be happier to picture the closing credits rolling over me as I take my seat across from the woman who’s going to be my wife, and prepare to enjoy the best French toast in all of Manhattan and decades of wedded bliss.
THE END
Intrigued by Dylan? Interested in Campbell? They have their own stories in Lili’s THE BABY MAKER and Lauren’s ONCE UPON A REAL GOOD TIME. You can find them here!
Once Upon A Real Good Time
The Baby Maker
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Acknowledgments
We are so thankful for our readers! Thank you for checking out our first ever co-written title! We hope you enjoyed reading THE V CARD as much as we enjoyed writing it. We are grateful to many people for bringing this book to you. Thank you to Helen Williams for the gorgeous cover. Huge gratitude to KP Simmon for the strategy and support on everything. Thank you to Kelley, Candi, and Keyanna for the day-to-day work that is so vital.
On the editorial side, thank you to Lauren Clarke, Virginia, Tiffany, Karen, and Janice for their keen eyes.
Huge love and forever hugs to our families, who know the proper care and feeding of a romance write
r, and in this case, a pair!
Most of all, we are thankful every day for our readers.
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Contact
We love hearing from readers! You can find Lauren on Twitter at LaurenBlakely3, Facebook at LaurenBlakelyBooks, Instagram at LaurenBlakelyBooks, or online at LaurenBlakely.com. You can also email Lauren at laurenblakelybooks@gmail.com
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
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LAUREN BLAKELY
K BROMBERG
JULIA KENT
CD REISS
LILI VALENTE