Jack & Sadie

by JB Salsbury

  “We could elope.”

  Her smile grows bigger. “Now you’re talkin’—”

  “Elope?” My mom’s voice rises an octave. “You did not just say elope.”

  “Mom, calm down—”

  “No way they’d elope,” Raven says. Her unique blue-green eyes, which match her daughter’s perfectly, sear through me. “Right, Jack?”

  I clear my throat. “We might.”

  “What?” they screech in sync.

  “Mom,” Sadie says, “you have to understand—”

  “Ricky’s here!” Carey yells through the open sliding glass door.

  Thank God.

  Ricky comes out to the deck dressed in a tight-fitting Henley and dark jeans. His white smile flashes at my mom and Raven, erasing all thoughts of weddings and probably replacing them with thoughts of the cougar kind.

  “Merry Christmas, ladies,” Ricky says, his voice seeping charm.

  They both squeal and jump up to hug him and offer him the seat between them. Sadie giggles, and I shake my head as our moms act like sixteen-year-old girls around Ricky.

  Eventually he makes eye contact with me and nods once, telling me everything I need to know.

  Perfect.

  Sadie

  “Everyone come inside for a minute.”

  I hear Jack make the announcement to everyone on the deck.

  After a delicious meal of my dad’s famous roast (minus Blake’s seasoning), scalloped potatoes, creamed spinach, fresh salad, and enough rolls to build a raft, Jack and I cleaned dishes while our family digested outside.

  I was drying the final platter when Jack smirked and said, “I’ll be right back,” before he disappeared through the front door.

  Our parents, Carey, and Ricky file in from outside and take seats in the living room. They all grunt and groan, complaining about how full they are, and even though I’ve grown up spending holidays with Jack’s family, this particular holiday feels all the sweeter now that we’re engaged.

  “Sadie, get over here.” Jack is standing in the living room, and he holds his hand out to me with a mischievous grin. “Come here.”

  I put down the dishtowel and move toward him. “You look like you’ve been up to no good.”

  He kisses my temple, and in a dark voice heavy with meaning, he growls, “You have no idea.”

  I suppress a shiver.

  Clearing his throat to shake off any lingering lust, he hooks his arm over my shoulders and addresses our family and Ricky. “I have an early Christmas present—”

  “Yes!” Jack’s dad jumps from the couch, his fist pumping the air. “You’re pregnant! Fuck. Yes.”

  Jack frowns. “Dad—”

  “She’s not pregnant, asshole.” My dad’s scowl pierces through Blake, but he doesn’t seem to notice or care. “They’re not married.”

  My mom and Layla snort-giggle simultaneously.

  “Mr. Slade, you do know people have sex before they’re married,” Ricky says.

  My dad shoves a big finger at my best friend. “Shut. Up.”

  “Uh, yeah,” Raven says through a grin. “He knows.”

  Jack shifts uncomfortably next to me. “Can I please talk?”

  “If we’re going to keep talking about my sister’s sex life,” Carey says and stands from the couch, “I’ve got places to be.”

  “Sit.” Jonah stares at Carey until the guy throws up his hands and sits. “And your sister doesn’t have a sex life.”

  “More than a river in Egypt—ouch!” Blake rubs the shoulder Layla smacked. “No hitting!”

  Layla nods to Jack. “Ignore them. Go on.”

  Jack huffs out a frustrated breath. “Right, so… I have an early Christmas present for Sadie.”

  He darts into the hallway, probably headed for one of the bedrooms where I assume he’s hidden my gift.

  Like a Rolodex, my mind sifts through the different things Jack would give me for our first Christmas as an engaged couple.

  Diamond ring.

  Diamond bracelet.

  Diamond earrings.

  Expensive watch.

  All beautiful things any woman would love to get from the man they love, but I’ve always appreciated the simpler things—something Jack knew well about me when we were in high school but seemed to forget. Don’t get me wrong, he’s getting better, but I still have to remind him that thousand-dollar dates don’t mean as much to me as the ones that come from the heart, regardless of cost.

  I prepare my fake response, assuming it must be something flashy if he’s decided to give it to me in front of my family. Oh my gosh, I love it! or Jack, you shouldn’t have!

  Then I hear the pitter-patter of paws on the hardwood. My thoughts dissolve the instant Jack comes around the corner with a leash in his hand.

  Attached to the end of the leash?

  My hand flies to my mouth and I scream. Yep, full-blown scream.

  The room erupts in a series of “Awww”s and I drop to my knees as Jack leads the little brown-and-white beauty straight into my arms.

  Tears spring to my eyes as I cuddle the tiny puppy. “Jack!” I sob. “A puppy?”

  He drops to his knees next to me, his watery gaze sliding between me and the sweet angel currently licking my face. “Merry Christmas, Sadie girl.”

  I collapse into Jack’s arms, the puppy blurry in my tear-stained vision. “He’s perfect.”

  “She’s a girl, babe.” He chuckles, but the sound is tainted with emotion. “She’s a boxer, and she’s eight weeks old.”

  “I love her!”

  Jack’s lips touch my ear. “She’ll protect you when I’m not around. At home, on walks, even at night if you want to walk on the beach.”

  I cough on an ugly cry. To think I assumed he’d give me some meaningless expensive gift. He gave me the gift of security and companionship when he’s not around. The idea of having a powerful protector with me when Jack isn’t brings a fresh round of tears. Happy tears. Emotion born of love and security.

  It takes minutes before I’m able to calm down enough to look around the room, remembering we aren’t alone. I swipe my cheeks. “I feel so stupid. I wasn’t expecting a puppy.”

  “She’s sweet, isn’t she?” Ricky squats next to me to pet her. “Jack had me keep her last night and bring her up today.”

  “What’s her name?” Carey says, petting her.

  Jack shrugs and looks at me. “She’s your dog.”

  I scoop her under her tiny armpits and hold her up. She has a white patch on her chest and snout, her nose still pink against her black mask. “She’s the color of honey. Are you Honey?”

  Her ears perk up, and Jack pets her tiny head. “She likes it.”

  I nuzzle the puppy. “Thank you, Jack.”

  “I love you, babe.” He kisses me softly. “Merry Christmas, beautiful.”

  Jack

  “She’s finally asleep.” Sadie tiptoes across the room, leaving Honey on her dog bed. “Hurry, take off your pants.” She drops her sleeping shorts and panties to her ankles, and I stare stupidly while she rips off her shirt. “Jack!”

  “Huh?” I can’t pull my gaze from her breasts, round and heavy and tipped with dark, plump nipples.

  “What are you waiting for?” She rips the comforter off me to reveal my pajama pants now tented with a growing erection. My jaw falls open when she crawls over me on all fours to snag the remote from my hand and turn off the television. “We don’t know how much time we have.”

  “Uhh…”

  She tugs on the elastic of my pants, freeing my erection. I suck in a breath when she takes me in her hand, literally jerking me to life.

  “Don’t stop.” With my heel to the bed, I push up and roll over so Sadie is beneath me.

  Her thighs fall open in eager invitation. “If we’re quiet, we probably have an hour, maybe more.”

  “An hour?” I lick the seam of her lips. “I’ve been teased by your tits in that sweater and your ass in those jeans all night,
babe. No way I’ll last an hour.” I grip my dick over her hand, running the tip through her wetness.

  She gasps. “Maybe I’ll need an hour.”

  “Nope.” Back and forth, I tease her, pressing, pulling away, swirling my tip where she needs it most. “I’ll light you up in five minutes tops.”

  She nods and moans. “Yes.”

  I continue working between her legs and kiss her long and hard. “How do you want it?”

  I feel her racing pulse against my skin. Her quickened breath ghosts against my lips, her eyelids heavy.

  “Rough,” she whispers.

  “You got it.” I groan and sink my tongue between her lips while punching my hips forward, burying myself in one thrust.

  Her nails mark my back, her thighs wrapping around my hips. I rock into her, milking gentle cries from her lips as she begs for more. Every sound she makes spurs me on, fuels my muscles, and increases my pace. I hook her leg with one arm, opening her wider, taking her deeper, losing myself completely to every gasp and shuddered breath between us.

  I kiss her neck, lick along her collarbone, and bite her lip. “You like it like this?”

  Her answer comes as a guttural moan.

  A smirk twinges the corners of my lips. “Hold on.”

  I roll to my back. With a sexy-as-fuck toss of her hair, she sits astride me, towering over me, back arched and hands braced on my abs. With every day that passes, I swear she couldn’t get more beautiful, yet she does.

  My Sadie.

  I cup her breasts possessively as she rolls her hips. Her pelvis tilts, searching for the sweetest contact, and when she finds it, her lips fall open in silent pleasure.

  “Ride me.”

  I don’t have to ask twice. As if getting the permission she’d been waiting for, her rhythm speeds up. My toes curl and the muscles in my abdomen flex so hard they ache as she swirls her hips and takes me hard.

  “Jack,” she whispers through staccato breath.

  “Right here,” is all I can get out before I’m thrusting up, meeting her pound for pound.

  Tension coils at my spine, my orgasm at a boil and on the brink. Grasping. Chasing. Reaching. She bites my lip, slams down on me, and explodes. Her release squeezes, tugs, sucks my own to the surface. With her name on my lips, I bow off the bed and fill her while she’s still riding out her release. Drawing pleasure while giving it, mixing in the most intimate way, in my orgasm-fogged brain, I hear a tiny mewl.

  I decide whatever it is can wait, but cold air hits my dick as Sadie jumps off of me. “Oh, poor baby. Did we wake you?”

  I rub my eyes, hoping to get some vision back after that brain-numbing orgasm. “Maybe we need to get a kennel and put Honey in one of the spare rooms—or not.”

  Sadie’s already under the covers with her head on my shoulder and the puppy between us. “No way. Look, she fits perfectly right here.”

  I roll to my side, stare into her eyes, and pet the pup. “She won’t always.”

  My woman pouts.

  I sift my fingers through her hair. “Can’t say no to you, babe.”

  She closes her eyes, a soft smile playing on her kiss-swollen lips as I continue to play with her hair. “Thank you.” A yawn escapes. “I love you, Jack.”

  Those three little words sink deep into my soul. With my entire life in my arms, I kiss her forehead and remind her for the millionth time… “You’ll always be the best part of me, Sadie girl.”

  Where it All Began

  Fighting for Flight (Fighting series #1)

  What happens when in order to win, you’re forced to lose?

  The only daughter of an infamous Las Vegas pimp, Raven Morretti grew up an outsider. Liberated from the neglectful home of her prostitute mother, she finds solace as a mechanic. With few friends, she’s content with the simple life. Flying under the radar is all she knows and more than she expects.

  Until she catches the eye of local celebrity, UFL playboy, Jonah Slade.

  Weeks away from his title fight, Jonah is determined to stay focused on everything he’s trained so hard to achieve. Undefeated in the octagon, he’s at the height of his career. But resisting Raven’s effortless allure and uncomplicated nature is a fight he can’t win.

  Jonah trades in his bad-boy reputation and puts his heart on the line. But when her father contacts her, setting in motion the ugly truth of her destiny, Jonah must choose. In a high-stakes gamble where love and freedom hang in the balance, a war is waged where the price of losing is a fate worse than death.

  Will the hotheaded Jonah be able to restrain his inner fighter to save the woman he loves?

  Or will Raven be forced into a life she’s been desperate to avoid?

  Read More

  Fighting to Forgive (Fighting series #2)

  When everything you avoid, turns out to be exactly what you need.

  Easy and predictable, just the way he likes it, Blake Daniels flies through life the way he burns through women: on his terms, no regrets.

  With his fighting career in full swing, he's on the threshold of title contention. But when his training is compromised by injury, the stakes grow impossibly higher. The rage that fuels his punches also chips away at his focus, and he risks losing everything he cares about.

  He won’t let that happen. Not again.

  Layla’s through with men. After a marriage that never should’ve happened, she hopes to reclaim the pieces of the woman she lost years ago.

  Emotional abuse has left her insecure and terrified. A master at faking what she’s not feeling, she masks her self-doubt in false confidence.

  She’ll never let another man hurt her. Not again.

  Chased by shadows of the past, Blake and Layla know what they don’t want, but their hearts have a different plan. As a web of lies and betrayal threatens to destroy them, they’re forced to make a choice.

  Is love enough to heal even the deepest wounds?

  Or will they be left Fighting to Forgive?

  Read More

  Also by JB Salsbury

  The Fighting Series

  Fighting for Flight

  Fighting to Forgive

  Fighting to Forget

  Fighting the Fall

  A Father’s Fight

  Fighting for Forever

  Fighting Fate

  Fighting for Honor

  The Final Fight

  Uncaged: A Fighting for Flight Short

  The Mercy Series

  Ghostgirl

  Saint

  Standalone Novels

  Split

  Wrecked

  Love, Hate, & Rock-n-Roll Series

  Playing by Heart

  Skipped a Beat

  Acknowledgments

  To the crew of people who help bring my books from my brain to the page.

  Piper Regan, thank you for your nitpicky critter skills and your elephant brain. I couldn’t do this without your insight and memory.

  Joy Editing, thank you for your eagle eye and for making me come across as way more grammatically correct than I really is. ;)

  Thank you to Rebecca Shea and Ginger Scott for all the Write Clubs that helped me pull out of life and dive into productive writing seshes with you.

  Thank you to Rose at Read by Rose for her amazing proofread.

  A big huge thank you to all the bloggers who have supported and continue to support my work. I do not know what I would do without you.

  Thank you to every Fighting Girl who begged for Jack and Sadie’s book to be written. You (Tom Cruise sign language) complete me. I love you all so much and wouldn’t be able to do what I love for a living if it weren’t for you.

  Last but never least, to my wonderful husband and daughters who inspire me daily. You are my world and the reason I believe in love.

 

 

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