Kick (Completion Series) (27 page)

“You’re staying here tonight and I don’t plan on using condoms.” He unsettled me as he stood
, and then my big, strong jock bent down and lifted me. I wrapped my hands around his neck laughing.

“What about our clothes?” I mumbled when we were halfway up the stairs.

“Your future brother-in-law can pick them up in the morning.”

“Ick.”

The next two weeks were a whirlwind. The
Journal
agreed I could finish my work and take my last week as vacation. Joel flew in to help me pack. I met his father, who I ended up liking more than I thought I would. The next day, we drove Carmen, my old faithful car, on a long grueling drive across the state to my parents’ house so they could meet Joel. I introduced him as my boyfriend because he hadn’t proposed yet. My mom whispered to me the following morning that Joel asked my father for my hand in marriage. So old-fashioned and so perfect for my father. They loved him.

Joel slept in the guest room and never snuck into my bedroom
, which drove me crazy, though I admired his respect for my parents. I left Carmen, behind at their house because Joel insisted I would be driving something reliable into town each day when I went to work. My father drove us to the airport. My mother wouldn’t come because she said she would do nothing but cry the entire way there and back. Saying goodbye was hard but Colt was actually closer to them.

Joel and I were both tired and cranky by the time we touched down in Cleveland. Van
picked us up and drove us home after giving me a big hug that I thought would never end. Joel finally grabbed Van’s ear and twisted until he let me go. Van punched him on the arm. “I was waiting for you to do something and I wasn’t letting go until you did.”

They loved each other
, and I was the luckiest woman on earth. We fell into bed that night after a quickie because Joel said he wasn’t going one more second without sex. I could only laugh because I felt the same way.

I needed to be at
The Sentinel
early the next morning. I told Charlie during one of our many phone calls that I wanted to learn everything from the ground up. The massive printer needed oiling and that’s where we started. She wasn’t brand-new when Charlie bought her and she needed babying much like Carmen.

Joel let me drive his truck in
to town because he had things to take care of too. I’d sold all my furniture, but we’d shipped my other possessions. I picked them up after a full day at the paper before heading home. There was no question about where I would live. Van had no objections, so their home became mine.

It surprised me that Joel was
there when I walked in. He was in the kitchen, and by the number of pots and pans that were out it looked like a huge meal was in the works.

“Are we having company?”

He turned and gave me a wicked grin. “No, my brother’s gone for the night and I’m making you dinner. Come here.” He pulled me into his arms and ran his nose along my neck. “You smell like motor grease and it’s sexy as hell.”

“You idiot. I need a shower.”

He kissed me and it took everything I had to wiggle away. I ran upstairs, showered, and put on a sexy flowered dress I bought that had a built-in bra. This was it. I knew he would ask me to marry him tonight.

We ate dinner by candlelight and drank
champagne. It was perfect. All but the proposal part. Joel didn’t ask. I went to clear the dishes and he told me he’d be back in a minute.

He came back into the kitchen and I
waited. I didn’t get what I expected. He unzipped my dress and pushed it off my shoulders. He bent and ran his tongue across my nipples while wiggling the dress over my hips and letting it pool on the floor. I was no longer thinking about marriage. He took my hand and led me up the stairs. Lit candles filled the room with the smell of flowers.

Joel laid me back on the bed, removed my panties, and left me with my legs hanging over the side. He undressed quickly before going to his knees and spreading
my thighs. He licked me, causing a moan to escape my throat and fill the quiet room. His tongue danced through my folds, lapping at the wetness. A bit of suction to my clit and I saw stars. He continued his sweet torture. Then, something strange pressed down on my belly. I brought my head up slightly and saw the small black velvet box resting on my lower abs.

He wouldn’t.

Joel reached under the bed and brought out a huge bouquet of red roses. It wasn’t the candles after all. He was on one knee, his chin resting against me. “Will you marry me?”

F
rustration filled my voice. “You’re doing this now?”

“You said even with me on my knees, flowers, and a ring you might say no. I’m hedging my bets. Is that a yes?”

“God yes.” I watched the most wonderful smile light up his face.

“Give me your hand,
” he whispered.

He opened the ring box and placed a beautiful solitaire diamond on my finger. He relieved one rose of its petals and sprinkled them on my stomach. Then… he licked me again
, adding his fingers to drive me crazy. In minutes my screams echoed off the walls.

I came back to earth and looked at my ring. It was so perfect. “Come up here,” I said and put my ring hand
down to him.

He crawled up the bed and pulled me into his arms.
I moved a little sideways and took his hands, placing them to either side of his head. “Now I get to give my proposal,” I whispered as I kissed down his abs.

“Make it good
. I’m not sure if I’ll say yes.”

He didn’t just say it, he shouted it several times.

We fell asleep in the middle of planning our wedding. I woke up first and snuck out of bed so I could make him a surprise breakfast.

I stopped in the dining room
and saw Van folding my dress. I wanted to die of embarrassment.

“You know he’s done this for me plenty of times
, but really we need to set some ground rules in the house.”

I covered my face in mortification. Van laughed and took my hand with the engagement ring. “I love you
, sis.” He grabbed me in his arms and swung me around the room.

“You are forever wrapping your arms around my future wife,” Joel grumbled before taking me from his brother.

“Get used to it. I always wanted a sister to torment.”

***

We were married three months later. Joel’s father bought back the property Joel sold to buy me the paper and gave it to us as a wedding gift. Van pitched in money and the contractors broke ground for our new home two months following the wedding.

After that
first night when I came to claim my man, Joel wore condoms until a pregnancy test came back negative and I went on birth control. We wanted to wait a year before we started our family. We didn’t set a number for how many children we wanted. It was up in the air.

Charlie and I had the paper at bi-weekly six months later. I, more often than not
, worked stories close to my heart.

And then there was rugby. The Slam didn’t win the following year’s championship
. Joel decided to play one more season before switching to the full-time team manager. I was heavily pregnant by the time they made it to the championship match. Charlie and Stub drove me the ten-hour trip because I was too far along to fly. Nothing anyone said would keep me away. Our first baby, even after all the excitement of winning the game, didn’t make an appearance for two additional weeks.

***

Many years later…

We renewed our vows on our thirtieth wedding anniversary. Our oldest daughter was pregnant with our first grandchild. The
champagne was flowing and the party was in full swing when Van proposed the first toast.

His arm remained around the shoulders of the woman who
had changed his life. “To my wonderful brother and sister-in-law. I’m too young to be a great uncle, but I’ll forgive your daughter if you tell us one thing.”

Knowing
Van, this would be good.

His eyes twinkled.
“I’ve asked for years, but you’ve never revealed the truth. Tell us how my brother proposed.” Cheers went up from the crowd.

Heat rushed to my
cheeks and Joel squeezed me tighter within his embrace whispering in my ear. “Don’t worry, that’s our secret.”

Thank you for purchasing and reading Kick. Though most of my books require some research, during this past year, Kick took me from “knows nothing” to “confused” to “I love rugby.” If you’re already a rugby fan, or became a little excited about rugby while reading, you have Bethany McDowell to thank for Kick. We met at the 2013 Indie Romance Conference in Tennessee and she asked if I would consider a book about Rugby. “Sure,” I said.

Please insert grumbles… !@#$%. I had no idea of the amount of research I was getting myself into. As soon as I thought I figured it out, I discovered I was wrong. The rugby message boards saved this book. I became so caught up in the world of rugby, hours went by without a word written. My husband recorded matches for me and he’d come home from work to find me glued to the TV. Poor man. I’d make him watch while I answered his endless questions. If I didn’t know an answer it was back to the message boards.

There are awesome changes ahead for rugby fans and players. In 2016, rugby sevens will debut as a Summer Olympic Sport. Plans are underway for a National Rugby Football League with hopes of using NFL stadiums during off season
, April thru July beginning in 2015. It’s a good possibility that one form of professional rugby or another is coming to a town near you. How can you pass up a sport where rucking is required?

Thank you to my wildly sexy Divas for all you do. I have the greatest street team ever. I love all of your “not safe for work” photos. There is no better way to start a day than a cup of coffee and man candy with laughter on the side. A special thanks to the Fang Readers Group on Facebook. I promise the next book in the Fang Chronicles will be out soon.

Thanks to my editors Michelle and Pat. I think I got all the “games” switched to “matches” but if not, all mistakes are my own.

In a few weeks, the next Bad Boys of Rock book, Temporary Dom, will be out. This is a standalone book though if you wish to read in order, Bad Boy Dom is first, followed by Loving Two Doms. I’ve included the first chapter of Temporary Dom one in the next pages.

I’m hoping if you’ve read this far, you enjoyed Kick. Please consider leaving a review. Good or bad, it’s the nicest thing you can do for a self-published author. Keep those emails, comments, and Facebook messages coming. They give me a reason to write with a smile plastered to my face.

Hugs and kisses,

Holly

Chapter One
(unedited)

Machala

I looked up from my computer screen when Danny walked through the office door.

“Ms. Winters, there’s someone here to see you who doesn’t have an appointment.” It was obvious he spoke for the benefit of the person waiting to see me.

Danny then closed the door behind him which was as surprising as the clipped, “Ms. Winters,” when he normally called me Machala. I watched my assistant closely. “Do you have any intention of informing me who it is?”

He gritted his teeth, “Mr. Luke Isaak.”

What the hell? I did everything I could to keep the shock from my face but as usual, Danny saw through it.

“I’d be happy to show him out or call security, or kick his ass. Your call Machala?” The gleam in his eyes was pure evil.

It almost had me laughing. Danny was five eight and weighed about one-forty. He had as much chance of kicking Luke’s ass as me. More than anything, I wanted to bury my head in my arms and refuse to see him. It was six months since our final goodbye if you could call it that. Pain, sex, and humiliation were a more apt description and pretty much encompassed our entire relationship. Those were the best parts actually. The prying, pseudo-psychology into what made me tick was what destroyed the best D/s relationship I’d ever had. I thought I knew exactly what I’d signed on for when I became his submissive. At the time, I had no intention of falling in love. Now, I hated myself for my weakness. Hated him for digging into my secrets and destroying everything.

With a blink of my eyes, I snapped out of my
before
thoughts. “Give me two minutes and show him in.”

Danny’s voice went soft. “Machala?”

“I’ll handle this. You can buy me a drink later.”

“I may be in jail,” he muttered under his breath as he turned and left the large room.

I looked around at the lavishly designed space that represented the wealth I’d accumulated. This was my office, I owned the building, and presided over my kingdom. I’d built this company from the ground up. I was in charge and Luke would not intimidate me here. I refused to check my hair, straighten my skirt and jacket, or stand. Of course, my legs were shaking so standing wasn’t a good idea anyway. I just needed a minute to catch my breath and mentally prepare.