A Seductive Melody (The Kelly Brothers Book 5) (24 page)
Read A Seductive Melody (The Kelly Brothers Book 5) Online
Authors: Crista McHugh
Tags: #Contemporary Romance, #New Adult Romance
“But you did.”
“And I was an idiot to think that of you.” He took that first step, waiting to see if she’d bolt before taking another. “I should’ve listened to my heart. I should’ve believed in you.”
Her face remained unreadable as he closed the gap between them and cupped her icy, windblown cheeks in his hands, lifted her chin up so he could see into her blue-green eyes. They glittered with tears, and her bottom lip trembled, but still, she said nothing.
“Please, give me another chance, Bec.”
“If we don’t have trust…”
“I do trust you.” He covered her lips with his own in a pleading kiss that begged her to believe him. “You know my heart, my soul, better than anyone else, and there’s no one I would rather share my secrets with.” His voice broke as he added, “Without you, I’m lost.”
She pressed her forehead against his and released a heavy sigh. “Say it, Ethan. I need to hear you say it.”
“I love you, Becca.” He placed a kiss on her forehead and wrapped his arms around her. “You get me.”
She tucked her head under his chin and held on to him. “I love you, too.”
And in that moment, he’d found the one thing that filled the void inside him.
Chapter Nineteen
Nothing had prepared Becca for Christmas Eve with the Kelly family. Ethan had warned her that he had six brothers, but when they arrived at his mother’s home in Chicago, she was ambushed by a massive white dog that knocked her into one of the snow drifts lining the driveway and started licking her face.
“That means he likes you,” a silver-haired woman shouted from the front door.
“No, Jasper’s just a menace.” Ethan shooed the dog away and helped her up, brushing the snow off her before leading her up the stairs. “Mom, this is Becca.”
His mother threw her arms around her in a hug. “So glad to finally meet you.”
The last of the jitters faded away. After all the hoopla last week, she’d expected his family to give her the cold shoulder, but as Ethan introduced her to each of his brothers, they all greeted her with the same warmth as their mother.
The crowded house was filled with boisterous conversations as each brother tried to talk over the others. The smells of fir trees and gingerbread permeated the rooms, so different from the scent of fried foods she was accustomed to at this time of the year. Before she knew what was happening, she’d been recruited to help out in the kitchen. Adam’s wife, Lia, assigned her to add the finishing touches to the mashed potatoes that would go with the massive prime rib she was carving.
By the time dinner was done, she’d felt like she was already part of the family. Ben and his wife teased for her being a Rangers fan while Frank heckled her for rooting for the Giants. She found out that Gideon’s next project would be a movie with Ari’s brother, and she warned him about Gabe’s habit of playing practical jokes on the set. She admired photos of the car Caleb and his wife, Alex, were restoring and sighed over the way Dan fawned over his pregnant girlfriend, Jenny.
The family retreated to the living room after dinner, but Ethan pulled her aside and pointed to the branch of mistletoe hanging above them.
“I don’t think that’s a Hanukkah tradition,” she teased.
“Humor me.” He tilted her face up and kissed her until she was breathless.
“Get a room, you two,” Frank teased, bumping into Ethan as he passed them.
Ethan gave the massive linebacker a playful shove, which evolved into playful roughhousing until their mother broke it up with a sharp “Boys!”
Mrs. Kelly then looped her arm through Becca’s, saying, “They never grow up.”
“We’ve got to keep you on your toes, Mom,” Ethan said, placing a kiss on his mother’s cheek before stealing Becca back. “We’ll join you in a moment.”
He led her back into the dining room and pulled out the distinctive little blue and white box that could only come from Tiffany’s. “I know Hanukkah ended today, but better late than never, right?”
Her pulse quickened as she untied the ribbon. The box was the perfect size for a ring, even though her mind told her it was still too early for that. After all, they’d just admitted they loved each other a little over a week ago.
She opened the lid to find a diamond and platinum key pendant instead and released the breath she’d been holding.
“Expecting something different?” he asked, his gray eyes filled with mirth.
“More like relieved.” She pulled the necklace out and admired the way it sparkled. “It’s gorgeous.”
“Just like you.” He took the necklace and fastened it around her neck. “I’m trusting you with the key to my heart.”
“And I promise not to break it.”
“I know.” He pressed lips to hers before whispering in her ear, “But if it had been a ring?”
“I might’ve said yes,” she teased. “After all, you get me.”
He laughed before giving her a passionate kiss that made her heart sing and promised her a future of many more in the days to come.
****
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Coming in February 2015…
In the Red Zone
The Kelly Brothers, Book 6
When scandal rocks their relationship, will their chances for a happy ending be fourth and long?
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In the Red Zone
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A Note to Readers
Thank you for reading
A Seudctive Melody
. I hope you enjoyed it!
· Would you like to know when my next book is available? You can
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at
www.cristamchugh.com
, follow me on twitter at @crista_mchugh, or like my Facebook page at
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.
· Reviews help other readers find books. I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative.
· This book is lendable through Amazon’s lending program. Share it with a friend!
· You’ve just read the fifth full-length book in The Kelly Brothers series. The other books in the series are
The Sweetest Seduction
,
Breakaway Hearts
,
Falling for the Wingman
,
The Heart’s Game
, In the Red Zone
(Feb. 2015), and
Here All Along
(May 2015). I hope you enjoy them all!
And, just for this series, I have a special website featuring more information on the Kelly Brothers, playlists, recipes, and other extras just for readers. Please check it out at
www.thekellybrothers.cristamchugh.com
.
--
Crista
Books by Crista McHugh
The Kelly Brothers
The Sweetest Seduction
, Book 1
Breakaway Hearts
, Book 2
Falling for the Wingman
, Book 3
The Heart’s Game
, Book 4
A Seductive Melody
, Book 5
In the Red Zone
, Book 6
The Soulbearer Trilogy
The Elgean Chronicles:
The Deizian Empire:
The Kavanaugh Foundation:
Heart of a Huntress
, Book 1
Angelic Surrender
, Book 2
“A High Stakes Game”, Book 2.5 (a free read)
Kiss of Temptation
, Book 3
Night of the Huntress
(Print Anthology of Books 1 and 2)
Other titles by Crista McHugh
Eight Tiny Flames
(part of
A Very Scandalous Holiday
Anthology)
A Seductive Melody
Copyright 2014 by Crista McHugh
Edited by Gwen Hayes
Copyedits by EMS Flynn
Cover Art by Sweet N’ Spicy Designs
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author or publisher except for the use of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.
ISBN-13: 978-1-940559-81-0
Author Bio
Growing up in small town Alabama, Crista relied on story-telling as a natural way for her to pass the time and keep her two younger sisters entertained.
She currently lives in the Audi-filled suburbs of Seattle with her husband and two children, maintaining her alter ego of mild-mannered physician by day while she continues to pursue writing on nights and weekends.
Just for laughs, here are some of the jobs she’s had in the past to pay the bills: barista, bartender, sommelier, stagehand, actress, morgue attendant, and autopsy assistant.
And she’s also a recovering LARPer. (She blames it on her crazy college days)
For the latest updates, deleted scenes, and answers to any burning questions you have, please check out her webpage,
www.CristaMcHugh.com
.
Find Crista online at:
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/crista_mchugh
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/CristaMcHugh