Wilde Magic (Wilde Women Book 3) (64 page)
“There are things to say and if you get nearer, we’ll be naked and on the floor before a single word makes it out of my mouth.”
“Before you get started,” she drawled. “The Chucks with this dress. Yes or no?”
“Yes.” He looked her over. “And also yes to those thigh high boots. I like them.”
She giggled. “Tits and Boots?”
“You’re not helping, Tesoro. Let me speak, okay?”
Of course she crossed her arms and smirked at him. Didn’t she know what crossing her arms like that did to her boobs?
He started talking as quickly as he could get the words out of his mouth.
“I was wrong to make such a big deal out of the uh, whole touching and oral thing.”
Her eyebrows shot upward.
“My bad, baby. But I have an excuse.”
She covered her face with her hands and groaned. “I wish I knew what I was doing.”
“No, no,” he was quick to assure her. “It’s not you at all. Well, it is you but not the way you think.”
She lowered her hands but was chewing her lip, so he said the rest as fast as he could.
“When you’re a celebrity—even a minor one—blow jobs are sexual currency. After a while, it means nothing. Shit. I was so sick of women like Claudia Gianelli and their willingness to swallow anybody’s come that I just closed down.”
He was super uncomfortable talking about this but he kept going. He needed her to understand.
“Imagine if you knew in your head that the way you were touched, sexually, meant nothing. Each caress, nothing more than a calculated means to an end. That shit can fuck up a guy’s head.”
“It’s how women feel all the time.”
Leave it to his ‘tessa to go straight to the heart of the matter.
“I know. And I was one of those guys. Until a spunky American girl rearranged my life. It’s fucked up, I know, but some part of me didn’t want you on your knees like that. I think I was afraid … afraid of a lot of things. I guess what I’m saying so badly is that I didn’t want you doing something just because you thought you should.”
“Caleb,”
“I know, I know. Not my best moment. But then, after you came to me and uh, took matters into your own hands—well, that didn’t feel like something you did off a checklist. Afterward, I hated myself for wanting my dick in your throat so bad. It was all I thought about.”
Her shyness was on full display when she blushed. “It’s a constant thought for me too. And you damn well know it. So tell me what really stopped you.”
Here goes. He took a deep breath. “You’re in the kitchen. At the counter. Cooking or something. I walk in, grab you by your hair and force you to your knees. I’m already hard. I growl for you to open your mouth. You do and without ever letting go of your hair, I fuck your mouth—holding you on my cock while jets of hot come shoot down your throat.”
“Okay,” she said when he finished.
“That’s what stopped me, Charlize.”
She smiled. Then the smile turned to a husky chuckle. “Honey, we really shoulda talked this stuff out before.”
Exactly.
“Restraints, gags, blindfolds, butt plugs, face fucking.” She was obviously struggling not to laugh. “I’m listening.”
He did a double take.
“Oh, and the hair grabbing thing? Yeah. Do that all you want. I like the caveman prince. He makes all my girly bits twinkle.”
Cal grinned. God, had he been an enormous butt or what? “Glad we have that settled. And in the interest of full disclosure, I knew absolutely zilch about bondage knots or how to tie someone up before that night in the loft.”
She beamed at his admission of inexperience.
“Okay, Mr. Merrill,” she said with a soft sexy drawl. “Anything else on your mind? I’ve got a bit of a situation,” she told him, waving her hand in a circle in front of her abdomen, “going on. Having a between-the-thighs heat stroke or something, so I’d appreciate it if you did a bit of pedal to the metal so we can get busy.”
Get busy. Pedal to the metal. A situation. She took the words right out of his mouth.
“Yep. Just one more thing. To be clear, Ms. Wilde. I intend to marry you.”
“Oh my God! Is this a proposal?”
“No. No it’s not.” She looked disappointed, so he filled in the rest.
“After everything Rhiann and Liam went through, I think we should let them have their moment first, don’t you?”
She clutched her hands to her chest and gushed, “You are so sweet!”
“Met him by the way. Liam. He’s an interesting dude. Loves your sister like mad.”
He was more than a little surprised and very, very touched when she wiped away a tear. “He saved her life.”
“He loves her, baby girl. That’s what men in love do. They save lives and over-react to random dumb shit.”
She smiled.
“So, you’re okay with waiting? Give Liam his day? Your sister deserves a happily ever after considering how close they came to losing everything.”
“Oh gosh,” she assured. “I’m totally fine with waiting.”
Then she bit her lip and a quirky grin worked the corners of her mouth. “Um, as long as we’re both being honest, I think there’s something I should tell you.”
Damn. He didn’t like the way that sounded.
“Yeah,” she giggled. “About Liam.”
“What about him?” He bit out.
“I think I maybe, sorta’, kinda had a huge crush on him as a kid.”
Cal stood there dumbfounded. Talk about left field.
And then she cracked up laughing, flew across the space separating them and launched into his arms.
“The expression on your face is priceless.”
She hugged him so fiercely, he grunted. “I love you Caleb Tyler Merrill. You and only you. Now kiss me you big lug before I have to get mean.”
Well, he knew one thing absolutely, positively for sure. Loving a Wilde woman was going to make his life an interesting journey. An adventure, starting with a kiss that left no doubt in either of their minds that they were destined for this. For each other. And he was going to spend every moment of the rest of his life giving her the best happily ever after of all time.
“H
EY,” RHIANN BLURTED OUT. “ARE
Charlie and Caleb back from Arizona yet?“
Brynn rubbed her huge belly and shook her head. “No. And Jax is having a cow over it, too. Baby’s due any day and he wants them both here.”
Rhi fluffed a pillow and jammed it down behind Brynn’s back, snorting good naturedly. “Exactly why Liam dropped me off here and then took off with Roman. He says he’ll be back in a day or so.”
“What’s up with them?” she asked. “Lots of whispers and sharing texts. Everything okay?”
Brynn watched the play of emotions on her sister’s face.
“Liam has a half-sister.”
She heard the words but it took a while for them to sink in. Baby brain. Sometimes it took Brynn extra long to follow along.“ A what?”
Rhi chuckled. “I know, right? Roman found her after a long search. Those Justice guys helped locate her.”
“What’s he going to do? Liam? Does he want to meet her?”
Rhiann shrugged and made a face. “He doesn’t know what he wants. His less than sterling feelings for his biological father complicate things. Apparently this girl is a few years younger and Roman says as far as he can tell, she has no idea who her father is. Raised by her mother in a hidey-hole, someplace in Oklahoma. Another woman whose life was destroyed by that awful, awful man.”
“Wow. Poor Liam. He was so devoted to his mom. Finding out he’s not alone probably shook him up, huh?”
“You can say that again.”
Brynn watched Rhiann flit around the room. It didn’t feel like something was up, but she sure did have something on her mind.
“Sweetie, what’s up?”
“He hasn’t asked me yet, Brynn. I mean seriously. What the fuck is he waiting for?”
Brynn laughed and patted the sofa. “Sit down.”
Rhi flopped like a rag doll and slumped over with her arms hanging between her legs. Whining miserably, she griped, “Should I ask him? Is that like a thing or something?”
“You
SO
will not do the asking Rhiann Wilde. Do you hear me?” Brynn chastised. “Give the man a chance, would you? I know for a fact that he’s talked to Dad. Don’t rush him, Rhi. You know how Liam is. It’s got to be perfect—the way he sees it in his mind.”
Her sister grumped and made all sorts of faces. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Wait,” Brynn said as a thought blew up her thoughts. “Aren’t you two going to London in August? He’s getting an award or something, right?”
Rhiann brightened. “Yeah, yeah. Not quite the grand cross of St. Michael and St. George—no royalty wielding swords or anything like that. But it is a big deal. His charity did something that got a lot of attention.”
“Well, did you ever stop to consider that maybe he’s waiting to sweep you off to the Tower of London or something and propose with a grapefruit sized diamond?”
She must have hit on something because Rhi was silent while she considered what Brynn said.
“I do know that he better get a move on because Caleb is walking around with a huge sapphire for Charlie. He told Jax they’re waiting to make it official until you two get your acts together.”
“As it should be,” Rhi snickered. “Isn’t there some unwritten code about sisters getting engaged and married by birth order?”
They laughed. “Well, there is now!”
All of a sudden, Brynn winced. “Oh.”
“What?” Rhiann barked. “Are you okay?”
“Um, yeah. I guess. Just had a twinge or something.”
Rhiann stared a hole right through her and then ran to her purse, pulled out a phone and tapped away.
“Cal? Get your asses home. Stat. What? Oh. Good. Yeah, yeah. Will do. Now hurry.”
“They’ll be on the next plane. They were about to come home anyway. Do you want me to call Jax?”
“Yes. I mean no. Don’t call him, sis. It was just a twinge. I’m fine.”
“Brynn, I swear to God…”
She shifted uncomfortably. “You know what though? Maybe you should call Mom. And Liam. Call him too. Get him back from wherever he is. I think it might be time to circle the wagons.”
Rhiann clapped and jumped up and down like a kid. “We’re having a baby! Holy crap, Brynnie!”
We’re
having a baby? Sheesh. Nobody but her was having this kid and she was more than ready for the main event.
“And then call Nana. Tell her to have Mr. Armstrong on call.”
Rhiann was racing around, calling everyone they knew, while Brynn calmly sat there. The door opened, she heard Jax call out, “Honey, I’m home.” When he strolled into the room just as Rhi flew past with the phone pressed to her ear, he looked at her quizzically.
“What’s up baby mama?”
Brynn rubbed her belly. “You might wanna clear your schedule for the next couple of days.”
His eyes widened and he was at her side the next second. “Are you in labor? Is the baby coming?”
“Not yet,” she assured him. “But something’s happening in there.”
Jax put both hands on her enormous bump and bent to kiss it.
“Daddy can’t wait to meet you,” he whispered to her stomach.
“I love you,” she told him.
“I love you, too.” Grinning like a fool he crowed, “Not bad for a beard you only married to save the roof over your head.”
They burst out giggling.
“Okay then,” she said after wiping away tears of laughter. “Next up—the joint production of the Baron-Wilde and Merrill families is ready for his or her moment in the spotlight.”
Rhiann burst into the room. “Gosh, I love a happily ever after. Don’t you?”
Jax smiled broadly at Rhiann and then looked at her. Brynn felt as though her entire being wasn’t big enough to contain the happiness exploding inside her. She and her hunky man-in-black were married and about to have a baby. Rhiann survived a horrible situation and was at long last reunited with her one true love. And Charlize. Gosh. Seeing her baby sister and Jax’s brother so blissfully in love was the icing on a huge layered cake.
They were the Baron-Wilde sisters and the luckiest women in the world.
Happily ever after, indeed.
THE END
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Suzanne Halliday