"Yes," I say. "Oh, please, yes."
His hands slide over my ass, and he spreads me wide. "Christ, you're wet. I love it when you're wet for me."
His finger teases my core, slipping in and out of me as he lowers his zipper with his other hand. Then his hands are on my hips and his cock is at my center. He eases inside me, and I gasp, watching the dancers writhing beneath us as he fills me.
His fingers stroke my clit, expertly taking me to the edge. He keeps me there, teetering on the precipice as he pumps hard into me, lost in the rhythm of the music. Hard and fast with an increasing frenzy. Like an ancient dance. A mating ritual.
A claiming.
When he comes, he cries out my name, and I explode in his arms, my core milking his cock as he comes inside me, filling me completely.
When he cleans me up with a nearby tissue, he is tender and gentle and sweet. And then he picks me up and cradles me as he walks over to the sofa and carefully puts me down.
I'm sitting there, my skirt twisted awkwardly, my body still on fire, when he kneels in front of me. "I want you, Jamie. I want you to be my wife, but if you can't handle that, then okay. If this is what you want--the two of us together with no vows to bind us, then that's what you can have."
He draws a breath. "There's nothing I can deny you, Jamie. And god knows I won't force you to do something you don't want to do. I want you to be my wife, yes. But I'll take you any way I can have you."
I sit perfectly still for a moment. "Ryan," I finally say. "Are you sure?"
He drags his fingers through his hair, his shoulders rising and falling as he sighs. "Sure? The only thing I'm sure about is you, kitten. Do you think these last few days have been easy on me? Do you think I've been playing a game?"
I start to open my mouth, but he presses his finger to my lips and shakes his head. "I want you as my wife, make no mistake. But I can't lose you. Seeing you at dinner with my mother and sister drove that home. And, yeah, you helped drive it home, too," he adds with a wry grin, as he lays his palm over his cheek where I slapped him.
"I'm sorry," I manage to say before he taps his finger on my lip in a not-so-subtle reminder that I'm not supposed to be speaking.
"Thanks for that. But the truth is, I'm sorry, too. I took the righteous high road. But when it comes right down to it, we both want the same thing. And it's no more fair of me to insist we get married than it is for you to insist we don't. And when I looked at it that way, I couldn't keep the fight up. Because you're the thing I'm most sure about in my life."
He brushes my cheek, and it's only then that I realize that I'm crying and that he's brushing away a tear.
"I can't lose you, kitten. And if I don't have a choice, then so be it."
I swallow because this is my out-clause. My Door Number Two.
This is the result I'd wanted, and Ryan has handed it to me as a gift.
I should sit back down and be done.
Except that's not what I want now.
I want everything.
And so instead of sitting, I go to my purse and grab my phone. I hand it to him. "It's a Valentine's Day present. I didn't give it to you on Tuesday because, well..."
"You're giving me your phone?"
I cock my head and raise an eyebrow as I go sit next to him. "A video," I say, finding the app. "I, um, originally planned to do this whole reporter theme, where I reported on all your virtues. But I didn't do that."
"No? Did you decide I don't have any virtues?"
"Haha. No, I just decided on a slightly different approach. So..." I wave my hand. "Go ahead. Watch it."
He looks at me, his mouth twitching with obvious amusement, then presses the icon to start the video playing. A split second later, there I am on the screen. Slightly off-center since I hadn't lined the camera up exactly where it should be.
"Um, yeah. So, this was supposed to be something different. A glowing report of all of your virtues. But, well, I guess it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind. And that's a good thing because I keep changing mine."
I clear my throat.
"Anyway, here's the thing..."
I trail off as I stand up, and for a moment, my head disappears off the top of the screen. Then it reappears when I lower to one knee. "I've been an idiot," I say. "A scared of my own shadow kind of idiot. But I'm not scared anymore."
I lick my lips and look straight into the camera. "I want to get married. I want to marry you in Vegas, where it all began. In a tacky little chapel without all the noise of a big wedding. I want to elope, Ryan. I want to go right now. This minute."
I exhale.
"I guess what I'm saying is this--Ryan Hunter, will you marry me?"
Then I smile, a little uncertain. "So, that's it. Um, okay..."
And I stand up and walk out of frame. A second later, the video ends.
"I didn't have time to edit it," I say, turning to see him staring at me with a look of wonder and adoration on his face. "I just shot it and then came to find you because I wanted you to see it, and--"
"Yes," he says.
My breath hitches. "You mean--"
"Yes. Yes, kitten, I'll marry you."
He pulls me onto his lap so that I am straddling him. I laugh with delight, especially when I see that he looks as happy as I feel.
"Kiss me," I demand, and he doesn't hesitate. His mouth closes over mine, and he kisses me deeply. Passionately. The kind of kiss I feel all the way down to my toes and everywhere in between.
I shift forward so that my core rubs against his already hard cock. I'm breathing hard, and so is he. Slowly, he lifts my dress, then slides his finger between us. My panties are still by the window, and the sensation of his finger against my slick skin makes my body tingle.
"Make love to me," I say, looking into his eyes as I open his fly. His cock is hard and ready, and I lower myself onto him, claiming what is mine. "Make love to me slowly."
"Whatever you want," he murmurs, pressing soft kisses to the side of my mouth. "Anything you want. For tonight," he says. "And for the rest of our lives."
Chapter Ten
"You do realize that usually there aren't invited guests to an elopement." Nikki frowns thoughtfully at my hair as she talks, and I sit still in front of the mirror and remind myself that after as many pageants as she's been in, Nikki knows how to wield a curling iron.
"Is that even a word?"
"It is now," she says. "Okay, last strand. Now I just have to pin it up."
My hair is normally wavy, but it takes curl well, and now it's a mass of loose curls that frame my face. It's a little wild. Frankly, it reminds me of sex.
And I know that Ryan will like it just like this. "No," I say, holding up my hand. "Leave it. It's sexy."
She starts to protest--I know her so well I can just see it on her face--but then she just nods. "Let's get you dressed," she says as I take another sip of champagne.
"Pass me your phone," I demand, and she complies with a roll of her eyes, then laughs as I program in a personalized ringtone just for me--Chapel of Love, the classic by The Dixie Cups. "Now you'll never doubt it's me,"
I say, tipsy but oh, so happy.
Because this is my wedding day. And I'm already at the chapel.
I'd meant what I said in the video--I wanted a Vegas wedding at a tacky Vegas chapel.
And, yes, I'd wanted to elope. But I figure we make our own rules, and so there's nothing wrong with inviting Nikki and Damien, who flew in for the night from Austin. After all, she's my best friend in the world.
And Ryan can't get married without his sister and his mother. That just wouldn't be right. So they're already inside the chapel, waiting for me to change.
As for the rest of our friends and family...well, I'm all about the after-party.
"Okay, we're almost out of time," Nikki says. This little chapel only gives each bride thirty minutes to prep. "Let's get you zipped." I stand, and she reaches behind me and inches up the zipper. The dress is white and fl
owing, albeit simple. It's also just a little bit sexier than your traditional virginal white.
Ryan, I think, is going to love it.
"Am I ready?" I ask.
"I don't know," she answers. "Are you?"
I look at her and think of Ryan. "Yeah," I say as we head for the double wooden doors. "Let's go."
Tinny organ music starts the moment she pushes the door open for me. I step inside, take a deep breath, and look toward the front of the room.
Ryan is there, dressed in a dark blue suit and looking as happy as I've ever seen him.
I want to run to him, but I force myself to walk down the short aisle as Nikki moves off to the side to stand by Damien.
I continue, savoring this moment. The way Ryan looks at me.
The smile on his face. The love in his eyes.
I reach his side and take his hand in mine. "Hey, kitten,"
he says, in a whisper meant only for me.
I hide my smile as I focus on the preacher, who goes through the familiar words that bind me to this man. My man.
Finally, he asks if I take him, Ryan, to be my husband. And that's when I say the words I've been waiting to voice. The only words that matter.
"Yes," I say emphatically. "I do."
As the words leave my lips, I know with absolute certainly that this is the man I'm meant to spend my life with.
"I love you, Jamie Hunter," he says, once he's been given permission to kiss the bride. And as his lips claim mine in our first marital kiss, I close my eyes and let myself get swept away in warmth and love and joy.
We're starting a brand new adventure, I realize. And I can't wait to see where it takes us.
<<<<>>>> Also from 1001 Dark Nights and J. Kenner, discover Tame Me, Hold Me, Caress of Darkness, and Caress of Pleasure.
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by Lexi Blake and M.J. Rose Turn the page for a full list of the 1001 Dark Nights fabulous novellas...
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ROCK CHICK REAWAKENING by Kristen Ashley
A Rock Chick Novella
ADORING INK by Carrie Ann Ryan
A Montgomery Ink Novella
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SHADE'S LADY by Joanna Wylde
A Reapers MC Novella
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ARRANGED by Lexi Blake
A Masters and Mercenaries Novella
TANGLED by Rebecca Zanetti
A Dark Protectors Novella
HOLD ME by J. Kenner
A Stark Ever After Novella
SOMEHOW, SOME WAY by Jennifer Probst
A Billionaire Builders Novella
TOO CLOSE TO CALL by Tessa Bailey
A Romancing the Clarksons Novella
HUNTED by Elisabeth Naughton
An Eternal Guardians Novella
EYES ON YOU by Laura Kaye
A Blasphemy Novella
BLADE by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright
A Bayou Heat Novella
DRAGON BURN by Donna Grant
A Dark Kings Novella
TRIPPED OUT by Lorelei James
A Blacktop Cowboys(r) Novella
STUD FINDER by Lauren Blakely
MIDNIGHT UNLEASHED by Lara Adrian
A Midnight Breed Novella
HALLOW BE THE HAUNT by Heather Graham
A Krewe of Hunters Novella
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A Fixed Novella
THE BED MATE by Kendall Ryan
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A MacKenzie Family Novella
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Discover More J. Kenner/Julie Kenner
Hold Me: A Stark Ever After Novella
By J. Kenner
Coming May 23, 2017
Click here to pre-order.
My life with Damien has never been fuller. Every day is a miracle, and every night I lose myself in the oasis of his arms.
But there are new challenges, too. Our families. Our careers. And new responsibilities that test us with unrelenting, unexpected trials.
I know we will survive--we have to. Because I cannot live without Damien by my side. But sometimes the darkness seems overwhelming, and I am terrified that the day will come when Damien cannot bring the light. And I will have to find the strength inside myself to find my way back into his arms.
Tame Me: A Stark International Novella
By J. Kenner
Now Available
Click here to purchase.
Aspiring actress Jamie Archer is on the run. From herself. From her wild child ways. From the screwed up life that she left behind in Los Angeles. And, most of all, from Ryan Hunter--the first man who has the potential to break through her defenses to see the dark fears and secrets she hides.
Stark International Security Chief Ryan Hunter knows only one thing for sure--he wants Jamie. Wants to hold her, make love to her, possess her, and claim her. Wants to do whatever it takes to make her his.
But after one night of bliss, Jamie bolts. And now it's up to Ryan to not only bring her back, but to convince her that she's running away from the best thing that ever happened to her--him.
Caress of Darkness: A Dark Pleasures Novella
By Julie Kenner
Now Available
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From the first moment I saw him, I knew that Rainer Engel was like no other man. Dangerously sexy and darkly mysterious, he both enticed me and terrified me.
I wanted to run-to fight against the heat that was building between us-but there was nowhere to go. I needed his help as much as I needed his touch. And so help me, I knew that I would do anything he asked in order to have both.
But even as our passion burned hot, the secrets in Raine's past reached out to destroy us ... and we would both have to make the greatest sacrifice to find a love that would last forever.
Don't miss the next novellas in the Dark Pleasures series!
Find Me in Darkness, Find Me in Pleasure, Find Me in Passion, Caress of Pleasure...
Storm, Texas.
Where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy...
Nestled among rolling hills and painted with vibrant wildflowers, the bucolic town of Storm, Texas, seems like nothing short of perfection.
But there are secrets beneath the facade. Dark secrets. Powerful secrets. The kind that can destroy lives and tear families apart. The kind that can cut through a town like a tempest, leaving jealousy and destruction in its wake, along with shattered hopes and broken dreams. All it takes is one little thing to shatter that polish.
Rising Storm is a series conceived by Julie Kenner and Dee Davis to read like an on-going drama. Set in a small Texas town, Rising Storm is full of scandal, deceit, romance, passion, and secrets. Lots of secrets.
Click here for more information.
Anchor Me
Stark Trilogy Book 4
By J. Kenner
Coming April 11, 2017
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FROM NEW YORK TIMES AND #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR J. KENNER comes the highly antici
pated fourth novel in the fast-paced series including Release Me, Claim Me, and Complete Me. This sexy, emotionally charged romance continues the story of Damien Stark, the powerful multimillionaire who's never had to take "no" for an answer, and his beloved wife Nikki Fairchild Stark, the Southern belle who only says "yes" on her own terms.
It's a new chapter in the life of Nikki and Damien Stark ...
Though shadows still haunt us, and ghosts from our past continue to threaten our happiness, my life with Damien is nothing short of perfection. He is my heart and my soul. My past and my future. He is the man who holds me together, and his love fuels my days and enchants my nights.
But when tragedy and challenge from both inside and outside the sanctity of our marriage begin to chip away at our happiness, I am forced to realize that even a perfect life can begin to crack. And if Damien and I are going to win this new battle, it will take all of our strength and love ...
Chapter One
I look out the window at the beautifully manicured yards that line the wide street down which I am traveling in the sumptuous luxury of a classic Rolls Royce Phantom. A car so sleek and magical that I can't help but feel like a princess in a royal coach.
The road is shaded by parallel rows of massive oaks, their branches arcing over the street toward their counterparts to form a leafy canopy. Morning light fights its way between the leaves, creating golden beams in which dust sparkles and dances as if to a celebratory melody, adding to the illusion that we are moving through a fairy tale world.
All in all, it's a picture-perfect moment.
Except it's not. Not really. Or at least not to me.
Because as far as I'm concerned, this is no children's story.
This is Dallas. This is the neighborhood where I grew up. And that means that this isn't a fairy tale. It's a nightmare.
The branches aren't stunning--they're grasping. Reaching out to snare me. To hold me tight. To trap me.
The canopy doesn't mark a royal corridor leading to a castle. It leads to a cell. And it's not The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies that fills the air. It is a requiem for the dead.