Happily Ever After Collection

by Melanie Moreland

  I kept laughing. I knew I shouldn’t. I knew I should tell him off, not only for looking in my cell phone, but also for pulling such a childish prank. Part of me knew I needed to tell him to get the fish out of the car the same way he got them in. But I couldn’t. He was gazing down at me with the most yearning expression on his face. It begged me not to be angry. So, I kept laughing until I was exhausted. The whole time, Connor hovered over me, his face expressing his enjoyment at my reaction.

  I fixed a serious expression on my face as I cupped his cheek. “Don’t do that again. Or I’ll get mad.”

  “If he stays away from you, I won’t. You took care of his precious phone. I helped with the stupid car. I have no reason to bother him if he stays away. I don’t want you mad either.” He grinned. “If you got mad, would you punish me, Jenny?”

  “I might.”

  His grin grew wider, and he lowered his lips to my ear, his voice husky. “I, um, have handcuffs, if you really need to punish me. I’d take it like a man.”

  I couldn’t help the shiver that went through me. “I think you’d enjoy that too much for it to be considered punishment, Connor.”

  He chuckled, his lips ghosting over my skin. “You may be right.”

  I sighed. “No more. Leave him alone, okay? He is out of my life. Gone.”

  “I will.” He pulled back and kissed my palm. “I actually feel bad for him right now.”

  “Because of his smelly car?”

  His face softened, and he lowered his voice. “No. Because today, he lost the most amazing woman in the world, and he has no idea how empty his life will be without her.” His voice grew nervous. “And he is never getting her back.”

  “No?”

  “You’re mine now, Jenny. You’re going to be my whole world. I know it.”

  We stared at each other, and before I could stop them, the words were out. They were right, and I meant them. I had felt it for months; I had fought it for months, but it was there.

  “And you, mine.” I hesitated. “I think I’m falling in love with you, Connor.”

  His eyes widened and he smiled. “The Stockholm syndrome has happened, has it?”

  “No. You happened. You walked into my life and changed it.”

  This time when he smiled, it was different. It was a smile that promised a whole lifetime of laughter and caring. Of being cared for and protected. Of being together.

  “You go ahead and fall. I’ll be right there to catch you. I’m falling too, Jenny.” His lips covered mine, his passion evident, his touch overwhelming.

  For the first time in my life, I knew.

  I’d found my home, too.

  Chapter 4

  Jenny

  “Here.” Connor tossed a box into the cart. “Next?”

  I looked in the cart, already knowing what I would see. “I said Shreddies, Connor. Not Frosted Flakes.”

  “I like Frosted Flakes.”

  “They aren’t for you. They’re for me. For my apartment.” I avoided lifting my eyes. If I lifted my eyes and saw his sweet, pleading gaze, I was toast. I was always toast when it came to him.

  “But, Jenny, I like it when you have breakfast in my apartment, with me. In my bed. I like Frosted Flakes. I really like how they taste when I eat them off you.”

  Internally, I groaned, shutting my eyes. He shouldn’t be saying things like that in the grocery store. When he said things like that, I wanted to say fuck the groceries and leave.

  His arm went around me, his lips nuzzling my ear. “Instead of fucking the groceries, why don’t we go home, and you can fuck me, Wren? I’m good with that.”

  Shit, that wasn’t internal.

  His chuckle was low and deep. “Neither was the toast remark.”

  I sighed and leaned back into his caress. I should never have wine with dinner and try to accomplish something afterward. Ever. Especially not with Connor around.

  “We can accomplish something, Jenny. We just need to get out of the store before I bend you over the cart and accomplish it here.” He flexed his hips into me, showing me exactly what he wanted to accomplish. “It’s probably not a good idea for me to get arrested for public lewdness. I don’t think my pretty face would survive jail.”

  I straightened up and pushed him away. “You and your accomplishing things is what has me in the grocery store aisle at nine o’clock at night on a Wednesday, Connor. I have no food in the house.”

  He grinned at me. “I keep telling you, you don’t need it—I have food. I’m happy to share. You can just stay at my place.”

  I snorted. “You have about as much food as I do, Connor. We ordered out the last two nights. Now, give me the Shreddies.”

  Pouting, he tossed the box into the cart. “They taste like ass. You need like six teaspoons of sugar on them just to make them palatable.”

  “You bite my ass all the time and moan about how it tastes. Are you saying my ass tastes like Shreddies now? Do you need to sprinkle me with sugar, too?”

  He stared at me, his eyes going dark as he licked his lips. That was not a good thing to say. I should never have said that. Connor did not need added incentive to be excited.

  “You and your ass have no need for added sweetness. But I’m happy to try it—once.”

  “Connor—”

  He grinned, a dark, mischievous grin, before he chuckled. “Okay, Jenny. Let’s finish your list and go home. But the Frosted Flakes are staying.”

  I pushed the cart while rolling my eyes. “You’re not eating them off me again,” I muttered.

  “Oh yes, I am.”

  “Not with milk.”

  He let out a bark of laughter as we rounded the corner. “I admit it was messy.” He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. “But tasty.” He kissed my forehead. “You make everything taste better.” His breath sighed against my skin. “You make everything better, Wren.”

  Oh. My. God.

  How did he do that? One second, he was all hot and sexy, dirty talk, and the next second, he made me feel as if I were the center of his universe.

  His voice was low. “You are.”

  I shivered. If he kept that up, he was seriously getting laid as soon as we got home. Forget the perishables.

  “That’s the plan, Jenny.”

  I was never drinking and shopping with Connor again.

  Connor

  I bit back my smile at her indignation. She tried so hard to be stern and failed miserably. Nestled under my arm, she fit well next to me. She was about average height at 5’5”, but given the fact that I was 6’4”, she barely reached my chest. Her creamy complexion and full lips were set off with wide, dark-brown eyes and golden-brown hair that fell to her shoulders. She wasn’t conventionally pretty, but to me, she was the most beautiful girl in the world. Spunky, with a smart mouth, she was fucking adorable. I loved her. She was sweet, funny, intelligent, and so responsive. She was also a fast drunk. One glass of wine got her giggly, and two destroyed any verbal filter she had without her knowing it. By glass three, she was sleepy, and four was a total TKO. Tonight, at dinner, she’d had two glasses and out came my favorite Jenny—chatty with no filter. I loved hearing her inane and funny thoughts. I especially loved hearing her thoughts about me. About us. Her perceived inner dialogue was music to my ears.

  I looked down at her, tucked into my side, her hands wrapped around the handle of the cart. I had to smile as I watched her. Her cheeks were flushed, and I knew it wasn’t just from the wine. She wanted me as much as I wanted her. When I had told her on our first night together we’d be an inferno in the bedroom, I’d had no idea how accurate that statement would be for us. She was everything I could have asked for in a lover—passionate and fierce at times, teasing and sweet at others. As well, she was achingly beautiful in her desire. Together, we fit perfectly, and I adored everything about her—even when she was bossy about cereal.

  My mind strayed, thinking about our first time.

  We didn’t plan it; it simply happe
ned. We spent all weekend together. I took her to return the watch, laughing when she picked out something pretty for herself instead. “Money well spent,” I informed her with a kiss. “Much better.”

  We talked about everything. From our childhoods, schooling, parents, friends, what we wanted from our relationship, even birth control and being safe. We left nothing to chance. I was serious about this girl.

  She stayed the night again Saturday. She slept in my arms, and for the moment, I was good with that. Sunday after dinner, she smiled as we finished the dishes and waved her hand toward the door.

  “I should go. I have laundry to do and a little work I meant to do this weekend. Until I got, ah, got…”

  I moved closer, slipping my fingers through the belt loops on her jeans, tugging her close.

  “Sidetracked?” I offered.

  “My boyfriend put me on house arrest.”

  I lowered my head to her neck, pressing kisses to the column of her throat. “I let you go back to your apartment yesterday, Jenny. You came back of your own free will.”

  She made a sound, a cross between a moan and a whimper. It was low and sexy. She tightened her hands on my shoulders.

  “Do you really have to go?” I murmured.

  With a sigh, she stepped back. “Yes. We both have things to do. Your shift starts at seven tomorrow morning. I have a meeting I need to be ready for.”

  She was right, and I knew it. The fact that she knew my schedule made me grin, even as I tamped down my disappointment. I leaned over her shoulder, snagged a spare key off the hook, and pressed it into her hand. “Use this whenever you want, Wren.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  I pulled her in, hugged her close, and walked her to her door. “Sleep well, little bird. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

  She rose up on her toes, and I met her partway, kissing her hard. It took everything in me not to follow her inside her place.

  Hours later, I was lying in bed, an arm tucked beneath my head, staring at the ceiling. I couldn’t sleep. My once-comfortable bed felt wrong without Jenny in it. Rolling over, I punched my pillow and tried to get comfortable. It was stupid. She had only slept there for two nights, yet my room seemed empty without her. I could smell her on my sheets, which only made me miss her more. Glancing at the clock, I groaned. It was 1:00 a.m., and I knew I wouldn’t be falling asleep anytime soon. I was keyed up, and my mind wouldn’t shut off.

  I heard a noise and rose up on my elbows, listening. Not hearing anything, I began to lie back down when the noise started again. Certain I had heard my apartment door open, I swung my legs over the mattress and flicked on the light. The footfalls were soft and could only belong to one person. My heart raced, and I spoke loudly.

  “I have a gun, and the license to use it.”

  The footfalls came closer. “So I’ve heard.” Jenny’s voice sassed. “You bragged earlier how big your gun was, if I remember right.”

  She appeared at my door, wearing a nightshirt, her hair up in a ponytail. She looked sexy and nervous.

  “You should give a guy a warning before breaking in.” I smirked. “My gun might have been loaded.”

  “It’s not breaking in if I have a key.” She peered around. “Where’s this big gun of yours?”

  “Come closer, and I’ll show you.”

  She moved forward, and I pulled her between my legs. “What are you doing here, Wren?”

  “I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

  “Funny, I was having the same problem.” I ran my hands up the backs of her thighs and cupped her firm ass, my cock growing as I realized she was bare under her shirt. “Thinking of anything in particular?”

  “Your big gun.”

  She was under me in an instant. Our mouths fused together, kissing each other as if we’d been apart for days, not hours. Her hands roamed my back, running over my sides, clutching at my ass after she pushed the sheet down with her legs.

  “Oh God, you’re naked.”

  Seconds later, so was she. Skin-to-skin, we discovered each other. She pushed me onto my back as her hot mouth traveled the length of my torso, flicking her tongue on my taut nipples, over my abs, and down my thighs. She explored my muscles, swirling her tongue, tracing them and torturing me with her caresses. She wrapped her hand around my dick, whimpering with pleasure when she realized she needed both of them to go around it fully. She touched and teased, whispering dirty words that cranked me higher, telling me how many times she had fantasized about us, just like this, naked and yearning.

  “Reality is so much better.” Her breath washed over my skin as she bent and trailed her tongue across the head of my cock. “I want you so fucking bad, Connor. I can’t take it anymore.”

  Then she engulfed me in her mouth.

  I shouted, my back arching off the bed as she teased and sucked, nibbled and licked, her hands never in one place for long, her hair brushing my thighs, first on one side, then the other, as her head moved and her ponytail flopped. She did things with her tongue I was certain were illegal in this country—probably every country—but they felt so fucking good, I never wanted her to stop. Wave after wave of pleasure crashed over me, and I pleaded for her to stop.

  “I want inside you, Jenny. Now, Wren.”

  I felt the hum of her laughter around my cock and the movement of her head as she refused. She cupped my balls, her hands stroking and teasing. She slipped her finger lower, rubbing and sending me over the edge.

  I fisted my hands in the sheets, shouting. “Jesus, fuck! I’m gonna…”

  Her response was to grab my thighs and suck deeper. Our eyes locked as I came. Hot, hard, and wet down her throat. Long spurts as I groaned and bucked; the ecstasy so great, it was almost painful.

  Slow and sated, I sank back into the mattress. She crawled up beside me, lying with her head on my chest. For a minute, there was nothing but the sound of my labored breathing and the feel of her gentle touch as she ran her fingers over my skin.

  “Proud of yourself?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “You should be.” I pulled her up, kissing her hard. I tasted myself, sharp and salty on her tongue. I explored her mouth fully, not stopping until we were breathless.

  I grinned, moving fast and flipping her, hovering over her with a wolfish smile. “My turn.”

  She was so sweet under my tongue. So receptive. I discovered the soft spot behind her ear that made her whimper. Her nipples peaked and hardened as I flattened my tongue, then nipped and licked at them. She was ticklish on the left side, arching up as I ghosted my fingers along her rib cage. I kissed the inside of her elbows, her wrists, teased her neck and shoulders. I discovered all her dips and curves, first with my fingers, then with my mouth. Sliding down the bed, I started at her feet, kissing the soft skin of her delicate arches, up her ankle, twirling my tongue on the sensitive indent behind her knee. Her head thrashed, her hands fisting the sheets as I slid my tongue up her thighs, taking my time, drawing out the moment until I covered her with my mouth, tasting her for the first time.

  She bowed off the bed, calling my name and a litany of religious figures. Her legs encased my head, her hand buried in my hair as she cried out. I lapped and flicked my tongue, stroked and pressed. I slid one finger into her, then another, adding my thumb to the mix as I drove her to release.

  Her muscles fluttered, tightening around my fingers as she came, beautiful and free in her orgasm. I shifted, pulling her up my thighs and driving into her before she had come down. I lifted her, wrapping her in my arms as I thrust, groaning at her wetness and heat, how tight, how right, she felt around me. She draped her arms over my shoulders and lifted her face, her eyes wide and dark.

  “Connor, please,” she pleaded.

  I covered her mouth, kissing her hard, and kept moving. I grabbed her ass, slamming her down on me, grunting my approval as she clung tight.

  We moved as if we’d been lovers for years. I knew her
body, and I knew what she needed. She took me inside, bringing me home, making me hers as much as I made her mine.

  The beginnings of another orgasm started. My balls tightened; my spine snapped with nerves.

  “Come for me, Wren. Let me feel you,” I begged, needing and wanting that desperately.

  Her head fell back, a soundless “O” forming on her lips. Her pussy clenched around me like a fist, sending me into my own release. I moved faster, groaning her name.

  Until she was spent.

  Until I was done.

  Carefully, I laid her on the pillow, withdrawing from her. I relaxed beside her, smiling as she curled into my chest.

  The room smelled like us. Sex, her, and me. We were sticky, sweating, and perfect.

  I pressed a kiss to her head. “Told you. Fucking inferno.”

  She stretched, her toes dragging along my calf. “I’ve never felt anything like that until tonight.”

  “It’s only going to get better.”

  “I may combust.”

  “I’ll put out the flames, baby.”

  She giggled, running her finger between us where we were damp and hot. “Your fire extinguisher does double duty. Starts and puts out flames.”

  I laughed at her silly remark.

  We were quiet for a while, and she looked up at me, her gaze filled with tenderness. “I don’t want to go home.”

  I tucked her closer. “This is home, Wren. Stay.”

  “Okay,” she breathed out. “We should get some sleep.”

  I glanced at the clock. “It’s past three. Neither of us will get much tonight.” I tilted up her chin. “You’re gonna be tired tomorrow.”

  She slid her arms around my neck.

  “I’m good with that because it’s so worth it.”

  Strangely enough, I agreed wholeheartedly.

  I shook my head to clear it, the mere memory of that night making my cock swell. I was already having trouble focusing. We needed to get home—I needed Jenny alone.