I pull from Eli’s hold, and my dad meets me in the middle, giving me a hug. “Do you want to know more about them?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I whisper to him. I don’t need to know unless he wants me to.

  “They passed away when you were two. Drunk driving.”

  He holds me tighter, and I hug him back just as hard. I didn’t lose something. He did. He lost a brother. I don’t know the people he spoke of, and they aren’t my parents. The only thing I can thank them for is giving me to my dad. Where I belong.

  “I love you.”

  “Love you, too, Maggie.” We finally pull back, and I yawn. My sleepiness is kicking in.

  “You going to tell us where you’ve been, Major?” I get out behind another yawn.

  “Been a long day and night. How about a rain check?”

  “Deal.” Eli comes up behind me again, pulling me toward him in a tight hold.

  My dad glances over at the clock on the fireplace. It’s a little past 4 a.m. now.

  “Alice?”

  “She’s left,” I answer.

  My dad’s face snaps back to mine. His face changes, and I’ve never seen him look like this before.

  “What do you mean she left?” His voice is hard and edged with anger.

  “You being gone was hard on her. She didn’t take it well. And she has other stuff going on. The stress was getting to her.”

  “She left.” My dad repeats the words as if he’s not understanding them.

  “Yeah, I tried to stop her, but she wanted space. I’m really worried about her, Dad. I think that maybe—”

  Before I can finish my sentence, my dad is turning and running out the front door. I hear a car take off and speed down the street. I turn to look at Eli, who shakes his head and lets out a sigh.

  Chapter 26

  Eli

  “Eli, stop distracting me,” Maggie moans as I kiss my way down her stomach.

  We’re back at the cabin since Major never came back to the house, and he’s not answering his phone. Maggie’s been asking all kinds of questions, but I can imagine deep down she knows the answers, she’s just not sure she wants to hear it out loud. So my job, since I only want her happy, is to keep her mind on other things.

  I strip off the rest of her clothes and then do the same with mine. I want us naked and skin on skin with nothing between us.

  Pushing her thighs apart, I bury my face between her legs and feast on her sweet cunt. Her tender lips are covered in her nectar, and I drink it down while listening to her moans of pleasure. I grip her thighs roughly, then release, not wanting to leave bruises but unable to help myself.

  “Cum for me, sunshine. I can’t stop until you do.”

  As her thighs begin to shake, I pull back and growl. I grab her by the hips and flip her over, pulling her up on her knees and go back to eating her out from behind. I want to taste her in every position, and this way lets me lick all of her. I suck on her clit and slide my tongue up to her opening, and then farther up to her tightest hole. I lick her there, and she tenses, but then relaxes as I kiss her slowly and bite her ass cheeks. Sliding two fingers into her pussy, I lick her asshole, wanting to get her off like this. I want her to be mine in every way, and maybe even one day she’ll let me fuck her here. But for right now, this is enough.

  She cries into the pillow, and I spank her ass hard. “Turn your head to the side. I want to hear you cum.”

  She does as I say, and I finger the sweet spot inside her wet channel as I eat at her. It takes only a second before her scream of pleasure echoes in the room and rings in my ear. It makes me so goddamn hard as her pussy clenches on my fingers and I pretend it’s my cock.

  “I can’t wait,” I say through gritted teeth as I pull my fingers out and sit up, grabbing my dick.

  I push the fat head of my cock into her puffy wet folds and sink home in one long stroke. Her cunt sucks me in, and her wet heat surrounds my shaft. My eyes roll to the back of my head at how fucking tight she is. Gripping her ass cheeks with both hands, I look down to where we are connected and start fucking.

  “So pretty,” I whisper as my thumb rubs on her asshole and my cock disappears inside her tight little pussy. “So goddamn pretty.”

  “Eli, I can’t take it. It’s too deep.”

  Her thighs clench as I bottom out inside her, so I lean forward, blanketing her body with mine. The feel of her hot sweaty skin against mine is heaven. We rub together as I bite her shoulder and keep thrusting.

  “Shhh. Relax, sunshine. It’s deeper this way, but you’ll get used to it. Spread your legs a little wider and breathe.”

  She does as I say, and I moan, feeling my balls smacking against her pussy. The sticky slap is obscene and only turns me on more.

  “Fuck, you feel that? You’re taking all of it, Maggie.”

  I trail my hand around her hip to her pussy and pet her wet little clit. She’s begging me to stop but puts her hand over mine to keep me from taking it away. It’s the kind of command she doesn’t want me to follow, and I give her exactly what she truly wants.

  “I’m scared,” she says, closing her eyes tight and pushing her hips closer to me.

  “It’s going to be so good, sunshine. Let go of it.”

  She takes a shaky breath and then stills as I thrust into her one last time. That’s all it takes to trigger her orgasm, and she half shouts, half moans her release.

  I hold myself deep inside and empty my cock into her waiting body. The tight walls of her cunt squeeze around me, and I bury my face in her hair as I pump every drop into her. The orgasm is hard, and it fights to get out of me. I feel like pieces of my soul are coming with it, but that’s okay. I want Maggie to have everything I can give her.

  Her trembles are lessening as she catches her breath, and I roll us onto our sides. I settle behind her, spooning her closely. I refuse to take my cock out of her, because this is his home. There’s no place else he’d rather be, and who am I to deny his needs?

  “I love you, Eli,” Maggie says as she tries to catch her breath.

  I kiss her shoulder and nuzzle her neck. “I love you, too.”

  We lie there in silence for so long I think Maggie’s fallen asleep. But she surprises me when she speaks up.

  “Are you going to tell me what’s going on with my dad?”

  “No, sweet sunshine. That’s his story to tell.”

  I make love to her all over again, pushing out every thought but her and me from her head. We’ve got a lifetime together to talk about other things, but right now the focus is on us.

  There’s nothing more important than my Maggie, and I plan on proving that every day for the rest of our lives.

  Epilogue

  Maggie

  Six years later…

  “Sunshine!”

  I hear Eli call through the house, and I cover my mouth to hide the laughter. I don’t know why I’m laughing, but I always do when I get nervous. Fear and giggles try to erupt from my chest, but I stay still, not wanting to ruin the surprise.

  We’ve been married almost six years now. I graduated high school early and then went straight into college. Eli got a ring on me the second he could, and we were running down the aisle about thirty seconds later. He’s been after me to have a baby since our honeymoon, but I said I wanted to finish school first. I got a degree in nursing and ended up majoring in physical therapy. After I graduated from that, Eli and I started our own practice, and we’ve been building it up the past couple of years. I know he wants a baby, and I think we’re both finally in the right place for that to happen.

  “Maggie?” I hear the question in his voice as he goes from room to room.

  Finally, after he walks up and down the hallway twice, he opens the door to the spare bedroom. I see the door open, and it takes a second for him to look around and register what’s happening.

  I’ve spent the past two months secretly creating a baby’s room. I even put the crib together all by myself one afternoon when he and Major went fishing. The whole room is bathed in pink and fluffy things, and I’m standing in the middle with a picture of a sonogram.

  Eli is shocked silent as his eyes find me. He looks down at the framed picture and then back to me. His cheeks turn red, and his eyes fill with tears. It makes my hormones jump for joy, but I stand there and tell him what he’s been waiting so long to hear.

  “I went to the doctor and found out I was pregnant. I waited until I could find out what we were having to tell you. Surprise, cupcake. We’re having a girl.”

  “Sunshine?” His voice is thick with emotion as he takes a step toward me. “This better not be a joke.”

  “Nope. You’re going to be a daddy.”

  With those words, he rushes to me and sweeps me off my feet. I laugh out loud as he swings me in a circle, but then he stops abruptly and puts me down.

  “Oh God, I have to be careful,” he says, looking down at me in shock.

  Suddenly he drops to his knees and pushes my shirt up, exposing my stomach.

  “I love you so much, baby girl,” he says, kissing my belly.

  My baby hormones are all over the place, and I immediately burst into tears. Eli sees me and stands up, cradling me in his arms and carrying me over to the rocking chair.

  “This is supposed to be for the baby,” I say as I laugh through tears.

  “It is. I’m just rocking her a little early, that’s all.”

  He kisses my cheeks and wipes my tears away. It was the perfect way to surprise him, and the perfect way to start our next chapter. Life couldn’t get much better.

  THE END

  Surprise!

  Find out about Alice & Thomas

  Right Now!!

  Prologue

  Alice

  I stare at the air mattress and wonder what I’ve gotten myself into. Tears leak down my face, and I can’t help but think about the first time I stood in this room and how those tears were tears of joy.

  Boxes of shoes line the walls, some waiting for me to design and others having already been done. I’ve been coming during the day and working on them between job interviews, not knowing if this place would ever come to be. Likely not because I can’t take it now. I didn’t want to from the start with how guilty I felt spending his money on something like this for me. I’d have to give it back. It’s not right to keep it. Even less so now that we aren’t going to be together.

  The last months of my life have been a lie. Small little white lies here and there, trying to make sure I didn’t hurt anyone, not wanting to lose the only real family I’d ever had. But all that has crumbled around me, leaving me even more broken than before. They found me and welcomed me into their home, but it’s all led to this.

  Thomas was slowly putting back together the pieces of me. Pieces I didn’t know had broken off. He healed me and made me feel whole again. Made me feel loved and cherished. Like I belonged to someone. Now every part of me feels like it’s crushed. I’ve got almost nothing left.

  I walk over to the air mattress and sit down, letting myself fall back. Lifting up my shirt, I rub my hand along my belly, thinking about the little boy growing inside me.

  “I still have you,” I tell him.

  The last few months have been harder than anything I’ve ever gone through. Harder than what I’d endured living at home with my parents. The drunk fights and contempt showed me just how little they cared about me. Being picked on in school for not always fitting in and being too shy to talk to anyone wore me down. This is so much harder than all that. Tasting something sweet then having it taken away is almost more than I can stand. I can’t go through that again.

  The stress of Thomas going missing wore me out. Not only mentally but physically. The doctor told me I needed to calm down and to get myself under control, but I can’t seem to. How can I not worry? The father of my child is missing—a child he didn’t even know about.

  I know I’ll have to tell him. A man like Thomas would want to be a part of his child’s life. It will be bittersweet for me. I’ve seen how he is with Maggie. He loves her so much and would do anything for his daughter. I know he’ll do the same for our son. It will just be hard having to see him all the time and knowing he isn’t mine anymore. That he could one day belong to someone else…

  The memory of nights when everyone went to sleep and he’d pull me from my bed to get into his flashes through my mind. I think I’ll miss that most of all—our stolen moments that meant so much to me. Even the fights. I smile at the thought of them.

  “What are you doing?” I whisper as Thomas pulls me from my bed.

  “Putting you where you belong,” he half growls as he throws me over his shoulder, taking me from my bedroom. I look around the hallway, happy Maggie isn’t here to see this. I think that’s what Thomas wants to happen, though, so that everything is out in the open.

  This would not be the best way for her to find out about her father and me—while I’m barely dressed and thrown over his shoulder in the middle of the night. Then she’d see I’ve been a terrible friend to the one person who’s really meant something to me. That after all she’s done for me, even inviting me into her home, I’ve fallen in love with her father.

  Which I blame mostly on him. He’s been like a freight train from the first moment he laid eyes on me. He never looked at me like I was his daughter’s friend. He looked at me like I was his.

  I hear the door to his room close right before my back hits the bed.

  “Thomas.” I put my hands on his chest, holding him at bay, as he tries to come down on top of me. It takes everything in me to do it because I don’t want to be doing it at all. I want to grab him and pull him close, to wrap my body around him tightly and never let go.

  “My sweet girl. Please, I’ve missed you all day. Just a taste.” I melt at his words. He always gets me with them. The way he talks to me, it’s like nothing I’ve ever known in the world. It makes me feel special, even more so because I don’t think a man like him ever begs.

  My arms give way, and he leans down over me, caging my body, a predatory smile pulling at his lips. “There’s my sweet girl, always wanting to please. I don’t know why you don’t let me just please you. Show you what it’s like to be on the other side of a sweetness like yours.”

  His mouth takes mine in a soft kiss. I didn’t think men could have soft lips, but he does. They fit against mine perfectly every time he kisses me. I wrap my legs around him, and I know it’s taking everything in him to be soft and slow. I see it all the time from the gleam in his eyes. He wants to take me, but he’s afraid it will scare me away.

  “I don’t want anyone to get hurt,” I say as he pulls his mouth from mine. He goes after my neck, and I give him what he wants.

  “You’re hurting me, sweet girl,” he mumbles against my throat, making me eyes water.

  My fingers dig into his chest, and he pulls back, looking down at me. God, he’s so handsome. His dark brown hair is starting to show gray on the sides. His light blue eyes show so much passion and yet are filled with concern.

  “Baby,” he whispers, leaning down and kissing me again. “Don’t be upset. I just want you happy. I’m trying. It’s fucking hard. I want you—all of you. I want everyone to know you’re mine.”

  “I am yours,” I tell him, and it’s the truth. This man will always own me. He has since the first moment he pulled me into his arms to comfort me. He told me he was my home now. I’m scared. I don’t want to rock this boat, but I also know we can’t hide forever.

  “Say it again.” His voice deepens, and I do as he commands.

  “I’m yours,” I tell him again. I drop my legs from around his waist and spread them wider. “All of me.”

  His whole body goes still, and I can’t feel him breathe. He leans down next to my ear, taking the lobe into his mouth. Before now all we did was kissing and heavy petting. He usually crawls into my bed at night or pulls me into his like he did tonight. He would never take it any further, even though I would silently try to push him to. He said he wouldn’t, not until I was really his, and I just told him I was—words he’s been trying to get from me for a while.

  “I’m about to mark every part of you. Mark you so good there won’t be a way for people to miss that you belong to someone.”

  His mouth is suddenly all over me. My shirt gives way as he rips it down the center, still not taking his mouth from me as he moves down my body. He takes one of my nipples into his mouth, and I moan at the sensation. I can’t take the teasing. I want him inside me now. Months of kissing and soft touches have been a tease, and I’m more than ready.

  “Now, Thomas. Please.” He looks up at me, searching my face.

  “I’ve wanted this for so fucking long. I want to savor it.” I wiggle against him and watch him fight his own control. I’ve never seen that control challenged before, except with me. “Tell me you’re mine forever. That I can savor you for the rest of our lives and I’ll give it to you fast this time.”

  I nod, and he moves faster than I thought possible. My sleep shorts are ripped from my legs in one swift movement, and his face is buried between my thighs. I almost come off the bed at the delicious feel of his warm tongue on me, but Thomas’s hands grip my thighs, firmly holding me in place.

  “Major,” I moan, and his fingers dig in harder. “Major. I. Thomas. Please. Oh God.”

  He growls against my clit, and I come undone. Pleasure shoots up my spine and explodes outward. I call out his name over and over again until his mouth is coming down onto mine, stopping me. I taste my pleasure on him, making the moment even more erotic.

  His cock nudges against me, sliding back and forth against my clit, making me jerk. I’m still so sensitive from my orgasm. I’m coating him with my release, coating him with the pleasure he gave me.

  It’s all his to take.