This is Love by (Checkmate Duet 2)

“No promises.”

“Do you really think she’ll be okay? She’s going to wonder why we’re gone so long.”

“She’s going to be just fine, Viola.” I know Viola’s going to be worried all weekend, so I’ll need to keep distracting her. “Oh, you’ll never guess who walked into my office today for an interview.” I’d forgotten all about it until now.

“Who?” She furrows her brows, and I hope I didn’t make a mistake on mentioning it.

“Alyssa Crawford.”

“No fucking way!” Her jaw drops.

“Yup. Stilettos and all.”

She laughs, and the sweet sound makes me smile. “What’d you say to her?”

“I asked her what the hell she was doing there, and once she said she was looking for a job, I told her to get the fuck out, that there was no way in hell I would ever hire her. Then, of course, she offered me some special incentives, and that’s when Courtney gladly kicked her ass out.”

“Jesus.” She sighs. “Girl has no class.”

“She has no dignity.”

“Maybe she’s just one of those rich girls that’s misunderstood. You know, like Paris Hilton.”

“You can’t be serious right now.” I narrow my eyes at her, wondering if sleep deprivation has made her lose her mind.

“I’m sure she grew up in a weird environment, and it’s tainted her. In fact, I feel sorry for her.”

“Yeah?” I arch a brow. “And what about Mia? Is she misunderstood too?” I ask with a sly grin.

She cocks her head at me and scowls. “Fuck Mia. She’s just a psycho that needs her teeth rearranged.”

I laugh, and it feels good to be alone with her again after all this time. I love our little family and Ginny more than anything, but sometimes I need Viola and me just to be Viola and me again.

Thinking back to when Viola went into labor makes me smile. We had gone over possible baby girl names for weeks, but nothing was set in stone just yet. I knew she wanted something meaningful and special. Thinking it over, I knew that any name she picked, whether it be from Harry Potter or another one of her favorite books, would be perfect for us. Growing up, Viola was glued to her books, and that’s what made me fall for her in the first place. She was a book nerd and proud of it, and I loved that about her. They made her who she is and the fact that she still quotes it every chance she gets lets me know we made the right choice.

Two hours later, we finally pull up to the cabin I rented. It’s a cozy two-bedroom log house in Lake Tahoe with a stone fireplace, small kitchenette, and complimentary hot tub on the back porch.

“Oh, my God! It’s so cute!” Viola squeals as soon as we’re inside. I set our luggage down and grab her hand.

“Let’s take a quick tour.” I lead her around, recognizing most of it from the pictures I saw online.

“Travis,” she says, tilting her head up at me, “I love it. It’s perfect.”

I smile back and cup her face. “It is. And so are you.” I press my mouth to hers and part her lips with my tongue. She presses her body into mine, and I know I’m not going to be able to stop if we go any further.

“Are you hungry?” I ask against her lips, but she ignores me and wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me deeper against her. I’ll take that as a no then.

She shuffles her hands down to my shirt and starts lifting it up. I take the hint and separate us just enough to throw it off. She releases a moan against my lips, driving me wilder than ever. God, it feels like it’s been so long since we’ve been able to be alone. The passion has never cooled down between us, no matter how many miles apart we were.

“I’ve missed this,” she whispers.

“Me too, princess. Fuck, I want you so bad.” I wrap a hand around her neck, claiming her body as mine.

She brings her hands down and lifts her shirt up and over her head. Sneaking a glance at her, I smile when I see her breasts on display. Too impatient to wait for her to remove her bra, I pull it down and cup her luscious breasts. Her head falls back on a whimper, and I know she loves it as much as I do.

I’m hard and throbbing under my jeans. I don’t think I’ll be able to be gentle with her, or even take my time like I wanted to. The desire is too strong to control.

I cover her taut nipples with my mouth and suck on them until she digs her nails into my arm. I know she likes it rough, but ever since the baby, they’ve been extra sensitive.