“Mama, Drew, this is the best!”
“The wedding?” I laughed, glancing at Drew over the top of Emma’s head. “I thought you were worried that it would be boring.”
“I was, but I was totally wrong. I want to get married, you guys. I can’t wait to get married!”
“Just do me a favor, step daughter, will you?” Drew asked, an impressively serious look on his face when she looked up at him.
“What’s that?”
“Wait a couple of years before you plan your own wedding,” he said. “I don’t think my heart can take another wedding so soon.”
Emma made her grumpy face at Drew, turned to give me a little pout, and then stalked off in the direction of her Aunt Sophie.
“You sure you’re ready for this, Drew?”
“Ready for what, Jess?”
“For this. For parenting. You know she’s not going to get any easier, right? In fact, from everything I’ve been told, I’m pretty sure she’s only going to get worse before she gets better. And the better part might not come for like, ten years.”
“Don’t care.”
“Seriously? Not at all?”
“Nope, not at all. In fact, I’ve been thinking that if you’re up for it, I might like to start one from the beginning.”
“Start one? What exactly do you mean by that, Mr. Larson?”
“A baby, Mrs. Larson. I mean a baby. If you don’t want anything like that, it’s totally fine, but if you’re up for it, up for discussing it even—”
“Yes,” I said, cutting him off.
“For real?”
“Yes,” I said, laughing. “For real. How come you never believe me when I say yes to the questions you ask me?”
“Because it’s hard to believe I’m that lucky, Jess. I still can’t believe how fucking lucky I am.”
“That makes two of us. Forever and for always.”
Best Seller: Body Heat
Blurb
Damn you, Zoe Maxwell… You screwed my body then screwed with my head, leaving me to wonder what the hell happened… Why did you run away when we had such a good thing going… Fine, I was a control freak and liked it a little rough in bed, but I never heard you complain when I was slamming you into the headboard and making you scream my name…
It’s like she's tattooed on my soul. It’s been over ten years and I still can’t go ten minutes without her face flashing through my mind. Zoe freakin’ Maxwell, th
e girl who broke my heart and literally ruined me for other women. Now, I can’t even get hard without a bit of the rough stuff and my box of toys.
She said I was too controlling, in and out of bed. The truth was, I didn’t mean to be controlling, I was just afraid she’d leave me if I ever let her down. Maybe If I had been less dominant, maybe if I’d let her take control once in a while she would have never left me behind.
Now, after all these years, there she is, standing in front of me, older, hotter, sexier. I can smell her scent like a wolf smells its prey. I’m a different man now; rich, famous, confident, always in control, at least until she looks at me and I find myself melting like an ice cream cone on a hot summer day.
PROLOG: Zoe Maxwell
“What are you doing in here?” I whispered loudly as Mark closed the door of the women’s bathroom and locked it behind him. He never spoke a word. Just smiled, roughly grabbed my ass and pulled me into him and pressed his lips to mine. I didn’t resist. I couldn’t resist. I had given him permission to do such things the moment I stepped into the role of mistress and first wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.
Without a word, he hiked my sapphire blue cocktail dress up to my waist and lift me onto the edge of the counter as he proceeded to have his way with me. Sex with Mark was usually all about Mark. And quite honestly, as much as I couldn’t wait for it to be over, a part of me also enjoyed the way he used me. It reminded me of a past boyfriend, one I let get away.