BLAKEOn the way to my father’s house to meet with our lawyer after the doctor appointment, my heart kept racing. “That was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.”It had to be the tenth time I’d said it, or some variation, within as many minutes, but I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t get over it.As soon as the doctor pointed at that grainy, weirdly shaped blob with the flashing light that was the heartbeat, everything changed. I had expected it probably would, but I hadn't known how.It was like someone had finally given me glasses when I hadn’t even realized I couldn’t see properly before. In a heartbeat—a literal, actual heartbeat—my view of just about everything I knew and believed in had been altered.When I looked at the pregnant woman and their children in the waiting room before we went into the exam room, I saw red, swollen women I felt sorry for. The incessant chattering of their toddlers had annoyed me, and a part of me wanted nothing more than to bolt with Aston in tow.Walk
Blake“Legally,” David said, “as soon as both you and your father have signed those documents, you are in control.”“Wow.” That was fast. This was really happening. “Good. Dad needs to stop worrying about this so he can focus on his recovery.”“I agree,” David nodded. “Full control of the company will rest with you, though your father remains as part of the board of directors. All of your duties and responsibilities are outlined in the memo I included in the envelope. Read through it, let me know if you have any questions.” “David’s firm is on retainer any time you need them,” Dad added. “Their advice has been invaluable to me. I hope you’ll find them helpful, too. You can contact them about anything. They know things even I don’t.”David chuckled, snapping his briefcase shut and rising from his chair. “That’s about the size of it, gents.”“That’s all you came here to say?” I asked, incredulously. It was a super short meeting considering the enormity of the consequences.He nodded,
ASTONBlake did a double take and froze as he watched me shimmy out of my jeans. It was a risk to try and seduce him after the day we had, but I needed to feel that connection to him. I thought he was on the same page as I was after today, that we were in this for the long haul together.To be sure, I needed the physical connection along with the emotional one. I would be able to tell whether or not he felt the same.Blake’s eyes zeroed in on mine. Shit, as sensitive as I was, I was pretty sure he would be able to make me come with nothing but a look. That look, in particular, was likely to make me combust spontaneously.A tingle of pleasure shot through me as his eyes widened and his pupils dilated. I loved that I still affected him the way I did, and hoped it wouldn’t change once I started showing.Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected that the sexiest, most beautiful man I had ever laid eyes on would look at me the way he did. Especially not such a short time after I dro
Aston“Blake,” I pleaded.Suddenly, his palm was pressed to my sex. “Damn, you’re soaked.”His eyes fluttered closed just as his finger grazed my clit. I nearly lost it.Bucking my hips against his hand, I was rewarded when his fingers dipped into me. He worked his magic with his hands before moving them swiftly to my ass and tugging me against him.The move had his cock pressing right where I needed him to be. A shuddering moan escaped me.Blake brought one hand up to brush my hair behind my ears before tucking his fingers under my chin and holding steady so I would look into his eyes. “You are so fucking exquisite, Aston. I’m so lucky to have found you.”He rubbed his rock hard shaft through my silky wet center. “I’m yours, baby. I’m not going anywhere. When I have to travel, I’ll be missing you every minute of the day. Never doubt that I will always be coming back to you.”Each word was punctuated with the glide of his shaft through my seam. My thoughts were scattering from my mind
BLAKEAston’s eyes were glued to the scenery as we drove to the company’s headquarters. She seemed so thrilled by everything. “The last time I was here, I was so nervous about surprising you that I couldn’t focus properly. It’s a beautiful city, Tampa.”“I never used to think so,” I told her, remembering how much I hated the place even just a few short months ago. “But it’s growing on me.”“Yeah?” She smiled, finally tearing her eyes away from the window long enough to look at me through her rose gold sunglasses. “What changed your mind?”I reached over and patted her leg. “You.”Her eyebrows lifted. “Me? How?”“Being anywhere with you makes it beautiful. It’s the way you look at things, it makes me really see them.” It sounded corny, but it was true. Blinders came off my eyes any time I was with her.Like now, I had driven these same streets a million times, but I’d never really seen any of the things she pointed out to me. The people lining up outside one food truck while others wer
BlakeGiving me a playful salute, Aston leaned to the window and looked up at the McAllen Group corporate office building when I stopped at the red light right outside the parking garage. “I’ve dreamed of working here one day, and I’ve always wanted to come see it.”“I’m sorry you’re finally here, but under these circumstances. I wish I could give you a tour and end it with showing you your own office.” I had no doubt that it would come to that, not because Aston was with me, but because she was extraordinarily talented at her job. If anyone was going to be promoted from a branch to the headquarters, it would be Aston.Again, not because she was my girl. She was driven and capable, ambitious but grounded. With or without me, she was always going to achieve whatever she set her sights on. If that was the McAllen Group Headquarters, that was where she would have ended up.Aston sighed. “I wish that too, but maybe another day. For today, let’s get this business with your brother over wit
ASTON“Wow,” I said, drawing an extra breath as I stepped off the plane and onto New York soil for the first time in my life. “Breathing even feels different here.”Blake laughed, slinging my bag over his shoulder and waving off the attendant who wanted to take it from him. “It’s the smog.”Swatting his shoulder, I giggled and gave him a look. “It is not. It’s the fact that this is New York. I mean, think about it, New York, Blake. People come here from all over the world, hoping to make their dreams come true.”“Says the girl from California,” he said, teasing lightly. Placing his hand at the small of my back, he made me feel all girly and protected as he guided me to the waiting town car. I could take care of myself and I definitely could’ve made my own way to the gleaming black vehicle, but I liked being treated this way by him. It made me feel cherished.As we slid onto the soft leather of the back seats, he gave me a pointed look. “People from all over the world stream to Califor
Aston“We won’t be waiting at the bar. I need to speak with Dustin immediately. We’ll show ourselves to his office. Don’t bother letting him know we’re on our way back there, either.”The receptionist paled. “He’s not here, sir. I haven’t seen him for the past few days. He—he’s been in important meetings.”“Important meetings?” Blake arched a dark eyebrow. “Sure. Please have our bags taken up to the suite and leave the key when it’s ready. We’ll be back.”Without another word or waiting to see if she would get someone to attend to our bags, he turned and gave me a second to catch up before striding back to the revolving door. When we were outside, he took my hand. “Dustin isn’t at work because Danny’s in town. I fucking knew it.”“Knew what?” I frowned, feeling my eyebrows pushing together.“They’re out partying, spending the money Dustin’s been stealing from the company.”I almost tripped over my own feet. “He’s been stealing from the company?”Blake nodded with a grim smile. “Yeah.