《Unforgettable Love (Journey of Love #3)》


 Page 1

    THE FIRST TIME I EVER laid eyes on Dodge Walker, I knew I was in trouble. He was handsome as hell; his smile melted my panties and had me wanting things I¡¯d never dreamed I¡¯d wish for, and he agitated the hell out of me. He had a cocky attitude that drove me insane . . . not to mention he had a thing for Ryn, a friend of mine who used to be his fuck-buddy not too long ago.


    Ugh. Seeing him in my favorite Starbucks this morning certainly had me confused. I wanted to dislike him, but I couldn¡¯t. I found myself lost in thought about him. Dreaming of what it would be like for him to hold me in his arms, slowly make love to me as he whispered in my ear how beautiful and sexy I was.


    Jesus, I needed to stop this.


    After saying hi to Ryn, Dodge turned to me. I could feel my face flush as I looked him over.


    Stupid sexy bastard. I wished like hell he went by his real name . . . Aaron. It fit him so much better than Dodge.


    ¡°Hey, Sierra. How are you doing?¡±


    Sucking my lower lip into my mouth, I dreamed of Dodge¡¯s lips on mine. Giving him a slight nod, I barely said, ¡°Hey, how¡¯s it going?¡±


    Smiling, Dodge turned back to Ryn. He narrowed his eyes and pulled his head back. ¡°Holy shit. It¡¯s all over your face.¡±


    Sucking in a breath, I jumped up and pushed Dodge back. ¡°Oh, no you don¡¯t. I noticed it first, so back off, boy-toy.¡±


    Dodge glared at me and a fire ignited in my body. I wonder how big he is? Would I feel him for a few days after he buried himself deep inside me?


    Sierra, stop thinking about him like that!


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, short stack. I noticed the moment I walked in.¡±


    ¡°I call bullshit,¡± I said as I threw my hands onto my hips. ¡°Listen, dickhead, you think you saw what you saw, but really you didn¡¯t see anything at all because you¡¯re probably still hung up on her. Being hung up on her, you thought you saw something there, but you didn¡¯t.¡±


    Dodge pulled his head back and stared at me. Even I knew none of that had made any sense.


    Damn it all to hell. Why does he make me so nervous? I feel like a teenage girl whenever he¡¯s around.


    ¡°What in the fuck do you smoke every morning?¡±


    An older woman I had been talking to earlier cleared her throat. ¡°Language, kids.¡±


    Dodge took me by the arm and my stomach dropped as his heat invaded my body. Pulling me out of the Starbucks and away from the door, Dodge turned me to him. ¡°Listen, why don¡¯t you get your coffee and head on out of here? Go to work and do whatever it is you do.¡±


    Dodge looked me up and down and the pulsing between my legs grew. Shit! I hated that he had such an effect on me. Stupid good-looking, son-of-a-bitch. His blue eyes landed back on mine, and I longed to tell him how I really felt.


    ¡°What do you do? You a secretary to some hot doctor who you screw at night before he goes home to his sad, lonely wife?¡±


    The air immediately left my body as I heard Tristan and Ryn behind me. The only thing I could do was stare at Dodge as the memory of walking in on my husband and best friend having sex flooded my mind.


    Dodge smirked as he searched my face. Fighting to hold back my tears, I vowed I¡¯d never let Dodge Walker ever make me feel that way again. Turning, I slowly began to walk away as a tear made its way down my cheek. Quickly wiping it away before that asshole could see what he did to me.


    I needed to get out of there before I lost control and let the emotions I had bottled up inside out.


    ¡°Wait! Sierra, I didn¡¯t mean to¡ª¡±


    Tristan stepped in front of me and looked at Dodge. ¡°Stop. Just stop talking.¡±


    Glancing back at me, Tristan asked if I was okay. Nodding my head, I was barely able to find the words to speak. ¡°I¡¯m gonna head to work. I¡¯ll give y¡¯all a call later. Let¡¯s do dinner so I can hear all about how y¡¯all got back together again.¡±


    Turning around, I gave Dodge my best go-to-hell look. ¡°Because I knew first she got back with him, you stupid asshole!¡± Before Dodge could reply, I headed to my car parked across the street.


    Once I was safely a few blocks away, I pulled over and attempted to get my emotions under control. How stupid was I to think Dodge Walker was anything but a man-whore who only cared about himself?


    He¡¯d never be interested in me.


    Never.


    Closing my eyes, I let my tears fall.


    SITTING IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM, I let out a soft sigh as I stared out the window at the capitol building. My heart was aching as I glanced down at my shaking hands. I was being assigned a new lawyer and I wasn¡¯t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

 Page 2

    ¡°When is this divorce going to be over?¡± I whispered as I closed my eyes. Pulling out my phone, I glanced down at the last text message I received from Robert.


    Asshat: Sierra, settle now and things won¡¯t get nasty. We all know you cheated on me first.


    Balling my fist up, I wanted to throw my phone. I hated my husband with every ounce of my being. How dare he accuse me of cheating? Feeling sick, I sat back down and closed my eyes. The moment that changed my life forever flashed into my memory.


    Pulling into the driveway, I noticed Robert¡¯s BMW. What is he doing home? A smile spread across my face. He must have been paying attention when I said I would be off early today. Maybe he was going to take me out to an early dinner. A movie maybe? After all, it was our six-year anniversary.


    Shutting my car door, I smiled as I walked into the house. Things had been tense between us lately; maybe Robert was attempting to make a go at things.


    Glancing around, I called for Duke, my black lab. Then I heard a woman¡¯s voice coming from down the hall.


    Swallowing hard, I held my breath as I made my way toward the master bedroom. The door was shut and I heard mumbled moans. All the times in college when my friends would tell me what a mistake I was making by marrying Robert rushed back into my memory. He couldn¡¯t be trusted . . . he flirted endlessly with women . . . he would end up cheating on me. Their words played over and over in my head. The underlying fear he would cheat on me hit me like a brick wall as I made my way to our room.


    Please, don¡¯t do this to me. Please don¡¯t be cheating on me, Robert.


    Reaching for the doorknob, I slowly turned and opened it. My eyes widened in horror as I saw Lisa, my best friend, on all fours as my husband fucked her from behind. Glancing down at the floor, I saw Duke. Goddamn it. My dog was watching my husband screw my best friend!


    Quickly closing the door, I turned and rushed down the hallway. Placing my hands over my stomach, I attempted to breathe in the oxygen I was clearly lacking.


    When a hand touched my back, I jumped and spun around. Standing before me was my cheating-ass husband.


    ¡°Sierra. What are you doing here?¡±


    My eyes widened in horror. ¡°I live here, Robert! What in the hell are you doing? You¡¯re screwing my best friend. In our bed! While my damn dog watched!¡±


    Holding up his hands, he took a step closer to me as I stepped back. ¡°Baby, let me explain.¡±


    Stopping, I held my hand up. ¡°Don¡¯t even. Don¡¯t you dare patronize me, you asshole. Get out. Get out of this house right now!¡±


    Dropping his mouth open and taking a step back, he stared at me. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying, Sierra.¡±


    Letting out a gruff laugh, I glared at him. ¡°Oh, I know exactly what I¡¯m saying and trust me, you and that little whore in there will pay for this. I swear, Robert. You¡¯re going to pay for this.¡±


    A smirk grew across his face as he tilted his head at me. ¡°Are you threatening me, Sierra?¡±


    My body was trembling, and I fought like hell not to let Robert see. Reaching deep down inside, I pulled out every ounce of strength I could muster up. Placing my hands on my hips, I returned the smirk. ¡°You bet your goddamn BMW I¡¯m threatening you.¡±


    Robert stood there and looked my body over. ¡°You don¡¯t have what it takes, baby, to knock me down.¡±


    Walking up to him with a smile, I placed my hands on his bare chest and slowly moved them down as his eyes lit up. Sliding one hand over his boxers, I grabbed his balls and twisted until he dropped to the floor. Pulling my foot back, I kicked him as hard as I could in the stomach as Lisa let out a scream.


    Bending over, I placed my lips to his ear and purred, ¡°Watch me.¡±


    Standing, I pointed to Lisa. ¡°By the time I get back, you both better be out of my house, and throw the damn sheets away. It¡¯s the least you could do.¡±


    Lisa called out for me as I slammed the door shut and ran away as fast as I could.


    Opening my eyes, I glanced around the conference room as I pushed the memory from my mind. Awards and degrees were plastered all over the walls. Walker Law Firm was one of the best firms in Austin, if not the best. And I needed the best. Unfortunately, my last lawyer was not working up to the standards Mr. Walker wanted. My dirty rotten husband was now accusing me of cheating on him. He didn¡¯t have a leg to stand on, because for some crazy reason, I stayed faithful to the dickhead.


    Yet, he and his lawyer had pulled out every trick they could think of to stall the divorce long enough for me to turn thirty and inherit my trust fund from my father. From emergency surgeries to Robert having the flu.

 Page 3

    Robert¡¯s lawyer had eaten my last lawyer alive during our first and only attempt at mediation. I needed someone who would not be afraid to stand up to the pompous chauvinistic pig who was hell-bent on taking half of everything I had away from me.


    Dropping my head back, I let out a sigh as I began counting the tiles on the ceiling. Jesus, what in the hell is taking so long? I¡¯m already not impressed with this new lawyer making me wait like this.


    The doorknob turned and I sat up, inhaling a deep breath. Please don¡¯t be an old fart. Please.


    The door opened and I sucked in a breath of air. Slowly standing, my mouth dropped open as I stared at Dodge. The man I have fought a major attraction to was standing in front of me looking hotter than hell. What in the hell is he doing here?


    My eyes quickly moved over his body as my insides turned to mush. Dodge was dressed in a white buttoned-down shirt, black dress slacks and a tie. He stood tall and confident as he made his way into the room. My insides melted on the spot. Holy shit does he look good dressed up. The things he could do to me with that tie. I loved that he dyed his blond hair back to brown. It caused his blue eyes to stand out even more and suited him so much better. Damn it all to hell. Why does he have to make my stomach feel like I¡¯m on a thrill ride?


    Slowly licking my lips, I went to talk but nothing came out.


    ¡°Sierra, it¡¯s um¡ª¡± Clearing his throat, he motioned for me to sit down. My mind was spinning. What is Dodge doing here? Am I being punked?


    Sitting down slowly, I tried to figure out what in the hell was happening. Dodge shut the door and made his way around the table. Sitting down three seats away from me, I couldn¡¯t help but notice how tense he was.


    ¡°W-what are you doing here, Dodge?¡± I asked.


    Dodge began adjusting his tie as a bead of sweat formed on his brow. ¡°It¡¯s, ah, it¡¯s Aaron, not Dodge.¡±


    My stomach dropped at the sound of his name off of his lips. I wasn¡¯t sure why I liked his damn name so much. I imagined how it would sound coming off my lips as he slowly made love to me and¡ªStop this, Sierra!


    Swallowing hard, I shook my head to clear the naughty thoughts away. ¡°Okay, Aaron. Why are you here? I¡¯m about to have a meeting with my new lawyer, so you¡¯re gonna have¡ª¡±


    My eyes widened as it hit me. Ryn and Tristan mentioned Dodge had gone back to work for his father¡¯s law firm. Shit! Shit! Shit! What is Dodge¡¯s last name?


    Glancing quickly at a degree, I sucked in a breath. Aaron Walker. My eyes snapped back over to Dodge as he gave me a smirk. That bastard.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, Mrs. Jackson, because I¡¯m your new lawyer.¡±


    Fate surely was not this cruel.


    Placing my hand over my mouth, I whispered, ¡°Holy shit.¡±


    Dodge attempted to hold his smile back but failed miserably. Dropping my hand, I stood up. ¡°No, no this is so not going to work. I need a new lawyer. You can¡¯t be my lawyer.¡±


    Dodge pulled his head back and asked, ¡°Why not?¡±


    Stunned, I said, ¡°You¡¯re a bartender, Dodge. You¡¯re a . . . a . . .¡± Leaning closer to him, I whispered, ¡°A man-whore.¡±


    Dodge inhaled a deep breath and shook his head as he narrowed his eye at me. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, Mrs. Jackson, I¡¯m far more than just a bartender and man-whore.¡±


    I could see the hurt and anger in Dodge¡¯s eyes and a part of me was pleased I got one over on him.


    ¡°My father put me on this case to win, and I have every intention of doing just that. Would you like me to show you my degrees? Would that make you have more confidence in me?¡±


    My small victory was quickly shot down as I realized what a bitch I was being.


    ¡°Um . . . I didn¡¯t mean to¡ª¡±


    Reaching out his hand, Dodge slid the file closer to him and read over the previous lawyer¡¯s notes. Dodge frowned as he kept reading. Before long he balled up his fist and inhaled a deep breath.


    I slowly sat back down and began chewing on my bottom lip. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked.


    Looking up from reading, I couldn¡¯t read Dodge¡¯s eyes. Standing, he turned away and said, ¡°I need a few moments please.¡±


    Without a word, he spun on his heels and left. The moment the door shut, I closed my eyes and prayed Dodge hadn¡¯t read what I thought he read.


    DRAGGING IN A FEW DEEP breaths, I headed down the hall to the main receptionist. ¡°Karen, will you please bring in some bottled waters for Mrs. Jackson and myself.¡±


    Nodding and giving me a smile, Karen said, ¡°Sure. I¡¯m on it.¡±


    Turning back around, I headed into the empty conference room next to the one Sierra was in to regain my composure. That motherfucker hit her; I¡¯m going to kill him. Running a hand through my hair, I squeezed my eyes shut. My feelings for Sierra had always thrown me for a loop. The first time I ever saw her I was instantly attracted to her. Her wiseass cracks had always driven me mad with both anger and lust. One minute I wanted to push her down like we were on a school playground, and the next I wanted to pull her into my arms and kiss her like she deserved to be kissed.

 Page 4

    ¡°Get a fucking grip on yourself, Walker. You¡¯ve got this. It¡¯s just another case, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Placing my hands on the table, I took in another deep breath. ¡°That¡¯s it. Just another client with a dickhead husband. That¡¯s all this is.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Walker, I¡¯ve brought the water into Mrs. Jackson. She asked where you were, sir.¡±


    Glancing over my shoulder at Karen, I nodded. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll be right there.¡±


    I needed a few moments to get my head in the right place. I wanted to take Sierra in my arms and kiss her senseless, then go pound her ex-husband¡¯s face into the ground. Sighing, I headed back into the conference room.


    Sierra was standing at the end of the conference table looking out the window.


    Shutting the door, I walked back to the table and sat down. ¡°I need to ask you a few questions, Sierra,¡± I said as I took a long drink of water.


    Sierra wrapped her arms around her body. ¡°Can you win this case, Dodge?¡±


    Swallowing hard, I looked at her file and said, ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going to do everything in my power, Sierra, to bring this motherfucker down.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I needed to know. What did you want to ask me?¡±


    Closing my eyes, I pushed my personal feelings for Sierra down. I needed to focus on the case and that meant I needed to not look at how incredibly beautiful she looked today. Or the fact her perfume was driving me insane.


    Opening my eyes, I looked at Sierra. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you press charges against him?¡±


    Her posture sunk and she shook her head. ¡°He was drunk. I was the one who let him into the house and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say it was your fault. Do not utter those words from your lips, Sierra. No one deserves to be hit.¡±


    Sierra turned around and my world came to a stop when I saw the tears rolling down her face. I¡¯d never in a million years thought I¡¯d see Sierra with her guard down. ¡°I knew he was drunk when I let him in, Dodge. He was upset and kept going on and on about how he had messed things up so bad.¡± Looking down, Sierra took in a deep breath. ¡°I told him I didn¡¯t care and he had to leave. He made the choices he did and I didn¡¯t care anymore.¡±


    ¡°Then what happened?¡±


    Sierra¡¯s blue eyes met mine. ¡°He told me he wanted me and I laughed at him. It made him mad and he hit me. He¡¯s never once touched me before, Dodge. Something in his eyes changed and I knew he regretted it the moment it happened.¡± Closing her eyes she whispered, ¡°Dodge, I don¡¯t want to talk about this. I get what he did was wrong; believe me I get it. I thought long and hard about this. I¡¯m not pressing charges.¡±


    Turning away from me she stared out the window. Standing, I walked over to her. I wanted nothing more than to pull her into my arms and hold her. ¡°Did he threaten you and tell you not to press charges?¡±


    ¡°No. He cried and begged me to forgive him. Said it would never happen again.¡±


    Placing my hands on her shoulders, I turned her to me. Placing my finger on her chin, I forced her eyes to mine. ¡°Sierra, I know you well enough to know you wouldn¡¯t let him get away with this if you didn¡¯t have a reason.¡±


    ¡°Please, Dodge, please just let it go.¡±


    ¡°Sierra, I swear to you, I will protect you with everything I have in me if you want to go after this fucker for doing that to you.¡±


    A single tear rolled down her cheek as I wiped it away with my thumb. Sierra¡¯s body instantly came alive, but she quickly put up a mask. ¡°If you¡¯re trying to be my hero, Dodge, you can stop. It may work on the girls you served at the bar . . . but it won¡¯t work on me.¡±


    Dropping my hands to my side, I walked back to the table as I cursed under my breath. Fighting down the incredible urge I had to tell her off and kiss her, I said, ¡°Fine. I¡¯m dropping this . . . for now.¡±


    Going through the notes, I continued on. ¡°This affair he is accusing you of. Is it true?¡±


    Dropping down in her seat, Sierra glared at me. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    Gesturing to the file, I asked, ¡°Is it true? The affair?¡±


    Sierra¡¯s mouth dropped open as she shook her head. ¡°Really? You¡¯re asking me if I cheated on my husband?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sierra. I am.¡±


    ¡°No, Aaron. I did not cheat on my husband. I¡¯ve never cheated on anyone, ever.¡±


    Pulling out my notepad, I made some notes. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t this Jeremy been called in to give a deposition?¡±


    Shrugging her shoulders, Sierra said, ¡°You¡¯d have to ask my old lawyer. Robert just threw this latest twist at us two days ago. Maybe he didn¡¯t have time to follow up.¡±

 Page 5

    ¡°Hmm. Probably. The first thing we are going to need to do is bring this guy in. Coworker of yours?¡±


    Shaking her head, she said, ¡°Nope. Friend from college, and Robert was always jealous of our friendship.¡±


    Looking at her, I asked, ¡°Have you ever slept with him?¡±


    Shaking her head, Sierra smirked as she said, ¡°No. He¡¯s gay. Robert doesn¡¯t know that though.¡±


    Nodding my head, I wrote some more notes. ¡°That works in our favor. Don¡¯t say anything to him. As a matter of fact, I don¡¯t want you even communicating with Robert from this point on. Any emails or text messages you receive from him I want you to forward them to me immediately.¡±


    Sierra¡¯s eyes lit up and she smiled a breathtaking smile. ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just nice to actually feel like I might have a chance to win this thing. My last lawyer was a pussy. I was actually scared he was going to crawl into a corner and pull his knees up to his chest and bury his face as he chanted how scared he was.¡±


    Letting out a chuckle, I shook my head. ¡°Ed is a good guy. He¡¯s just doesn¡¯t realize it was time to retire . . . ten years ago.¡±


    Sierra let out a giggle as she flashed me a smile that had me catching my breath.


    My heart hurt for Sierra. I knew it was going to be hard as hell to keep my hands to myself with her, but I had to. I would not let my father down on this, nor was I going to let Sierra down. I needed to keep my feelings in check.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you didn¡¯t feel like you had a chance before. That¡¯s all about to change, Sierra. Your ex is going down.¡±


    Sierra licked her lips and my dick jumped. Glancing back down at the paperwork, I cleared my throat and said, ¡°Okay. Well, let me start going over all of this and I¡¯ll be back in touch with you either tomorrow or the next day. This is my only case, so I will be able to devote one hundred percent of my time to you.¡±


    Wiggling her eyebrows, Sierra stood. ¡°I bet you say that to all the girls.¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I let out a sigh as I looked her over. Fuck she had a nice body. She was wearing a beige skirt that hugged her hips perfectly, beige high heels and a white sleeveless shirt.


    Her blonde hair was down and flowed freely below her shoulders. I imagined it in a ponytail and me holding it tight while I fucked her from behind. Shaking my head, I let out a quick breath. Shit. I need to stop this.


    ¡°Perfect. I¡¯m going to be heading down to south Texas in about a week, so if you need me for anything before I go, you¡¯ll let me know right?¡±


    Panic began to set it. Why was she going to south Texas? Was it to see Ryn and Tristan? Or was she going to see Chris, Tristan¡¯s best friend from high school? We had met him on South Padre when Tristan invited us all down. He wanted their close friends there for when he asked Ryn to marry him.


    Clearing my throat, I stood and gathered up the file. Anger started building as I thought about the night Sierra and Chris had been all over each other on the dance floor at a club. I wasn¡¯t sure if she ended up sleeping with him or not. My best guess was she had. No matter how hard I tried to be nice to Sierra, she always came back with smart-ass responses. I knew it was her way to guard her heart, but the fact that she had been with Chris boiled my blood.


    Starting to the door, I said, ¡°It¡¯s probably best to keep your relationship with Chris on the down low, Sierra. Robert might try and use it against you.¡±


    Sierra stopped dead in her tracks and looked at me. ¡°What?¡±


    Opening the door, I said, ¡°I¡¯ll be in touch after I look through your file. Do you need me to show you out?¡±


    Sierra¡¯s mouth dropped open as she stood there. I thought I saw hurt move across her face before she looked away and walked past me. ¡°No, I know my way out, thank you.¡±


    Watching her walk down the hallway, I couldn¡¯t help but notice how nice her ass moved as she walked.


    Jesus, I need to stay focused.


    ¡°So, Aaron, what did you think of the lovely Mrs. Jackson?¡± my father asked from behind me.


    Glancing over my shoulder at him, I smiled. ¡°I think she has an asshole husband who will stop at nothing to get his hands on the trust fund she inherited and make her life miserable. He seems to be a bit pissed his wife actually had the nerve to leave him.¡±


    Walking up, my father stood next to me as Sierra turned the corner and headed out of the office. ¡°Did you talk her into pressing charges against the husband for the night he decided to use her as a punching bag?¡±


    Shaking my head, I whispered, ¡°Not yet. But I intend on getting to the bottom of why she hasn¡¯t pressed charges.¡±

 Page 6

    Slapping me on the back, my father said, ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to hear. Get to it, son.¡±


    My father walked away, leaving me alone in my thoughts. Making a vow to myself right there that I would push away any feelings I might have toward Sierra so I could concentrate on this case. I¡¯d work her divorce case with everything I had and the last thing I needed was Sierra as a distraction. Besides, it was clear she was in a relationship with Chris. She was going to south Texas to be with him for fuck¡¯s sake.


    Blowing out a sharp breath, I headed back to my office. Walking past the break room, I glanced in and saw Karen making a cup of coffee. Walking in, I shut the door and made my way over to her.


    When she turned around, she bit down on her lower lip and smiled. I¡¯d yet to make a move on her and now was the perfect time. Anything to get my mind off of the sweet little piece of ass that just walked away from me. The moment I met Sierra, a spark flew between us but we continued to push each other away.


    Pushing my hands through Karen¡¯s long brown hair, I grabbed it and pulled her head back. Letting out a moan, Karen hissed, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Brushing my lips against her lips, I whispered, ¡°Meet me downstairs at six.¡±


    Running my tongue along her lower lip, I bit down on it and sucked it into my mouth as Karen moaned. Letting go of her hair, I turned and headed out of the break room and to my office. Smiling, I could taste the mint from Karen¡¯s gum. Yes, she would serve as a very nice distraction indeed.


    STANDING IN FRONT OF THE tall office building, I dragged in deep breath after deep breath. Glancing down to my hands, I attempted to stop them from shaking.


    Shit! The last thing I wanted was for Dodge to see how he affected me.


    The valet pulled up and parked my Audio Q7 right in front of me as I stared off in the distance.


    Dodge thinks I¡¯m with Chris. Holy shit. Dodge thinks I¡¯m dating Chris. Closing my eyes, I tried to figure out what that look on his face was when I mentioned heading to South Texas. For a moment he seemed jealous.


    Nah . . . you¡¯re dreaming, Sierra. No way Dodge is interested in you. Is he? Shit!


    ¡°Um . . . ma¡¯am? Excuse me, ma¡¯am?¡±


    Snapping out of my thoughts, I turned to the young valet and handed him a twenty. ¡°Thank you,¡± I mumbled.


    Smiling, he nodded his head and said, ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Getting into my car, I closed my eyes and was taken back in time to the moment I first realized I was falling for Dodge Walker.


    ¡°Hey, Ryn, Sierra, how are you both doing?¡±


    My heart began pounding the moment I looked up and saw Dodge standing in the Starbucks Ryn and I both practically lived in. Moving my eyes over his body, I slowly licked my lips. Damn he is good looking.


    ¡°Oh, hey there, Dodge. Have you always come to this Starbucks?¡± I asked as Dodge smiled at me and caused my stomach to drop.


    Nodding his head, Dodge said, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±


    Good lord, help me for this man was sex on two legs.


    Leaning back in my chair, I raised my eyebrows and said, ¡°Huh. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve never seen you here before.¡±


    Dodge¡¯s eyes lit up for a brief moment as he said, ¡°Yeah, same here.¡±


    Dodge glanced between Ryn and me before saying, ¡°It¡¯s good seeing you both. I¡¯ve got a meeting I need to get to, see y¡¯all later.¡±


    Watching him walk away, I took everything in. Holy hell I¡¯d love to wrap my legs around that man and have him take me to heaven and back. Reaching up, I wiped the corner of my lips. Wait. Was I drooling?


    Glancing back to Ryn, she smiled and shook her head. ¡°Oh my gosh, you have the hots for Dodge?¡±


    Pulling my head back, I gave her a nervous laugh. ¡°What?¡±


    Pointing to me, Ryn laughed. ¡°You practically undressed him as he walked out the door.¡±


    Brushing Ryn off with my hand, I rolled my eyes and looked away as I attempted to control my beating heart. The last thing I needed was another man who loved to screw the women in my life.


    Letting out a sigh, I dropped my head back against my headrest. Ugh. I hate men. I searched for Ryn¡¯s number and hit dial as I pulled out onto Congress Avenue.


    ¡°Hey! How did you meeting with the lawyer go? Did you chew their asses out and tell them you wanted a new lawyer on the case?¡±


    Swallowing hard, I chuckled. What are the fucking odds Dodge damn Walker would be my new lawyer? God hates me.


    ¡°I think it went well. The new lawyer seems to think we have a good chance. I¡¯m worried he may let his dislike of me affect the case, though.¡±


    Silence. ¡°Huh? What do you mean? How do you know he doesn¡¯t like you?¡±

 Page 7

    Laughing, I said, ¡°He¡¯s told me a time or two.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Sierra, what in the hell are you talking about? What did you do to the poor guy?¡±


    ¡°Dodge, Ryn. Dodge is my new lawyer. Dodge for Christ¡¯s sake!¡±


    ¡°Umm . . . Dodge?¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I let out a frustrated moan. ¡°Yes! Dodge. Well, wait, he goes by Aaron now.¡±


    ¡°Wow. I¡¯m at a loss for words right now.¡±


    Letting out a sarcastic chuckle, I said, ¡°You? Imagine my surprise. I¡¯m so fucked.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Sierra honey, Dodge will be an amazing lawyer for you. Y¡¯all just have to put your personal feelings aside and focus on bringing your ex down.¡±


    Gripping the steering wheel to settle my rattled nerves, I headed home to my small little house in Hyde Park. I loved that house. The moment I found out Robert was cheating, I moved out of our house and bought a three-bedroom, cottage-style house in my favorite neighborhood of Austin. Now the fucker was saying I used part of his money to buy it.


    I hate him.


    ¡°Sierra? Are you even listening to me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry, Ryn. Hey, did you mention anything to Dodge about Chris and me?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Is there a you and Chris? Why didn¡¯t I know about this! I mean, I know y¡¯all got touchy feely there for a bit, but when did it become you and Chris? Oh. My. God. How could you not tell me?¡±


    Sighing, I shook my head. Clearly Ryn hadn¡¯t said anything. ¡°There is no me and Chris. Holy hell, settle your ass down. My gosh, Ryn! Can we say freak out?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay, well so what do you mean then? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I told him I was heading to south Texas, and he immediately assumed I was heading down to see Chris.¡±


    ¡°Well . . . I mean . . . the last time Dodge saw you and Chris together, y¡¯all were all over each other. You blatantly ignored Dodge and gave Chris all your attention.¡±


    Sucking in a breath, I said, ¡°I did not!¡±


    ¡°Um . . . yeah you did, Sierra.¡±


    Knowing Ryn was right, I didn¡¯t utter a word. I¡¯d seen the way Dodge had been looking at me on more than one occasion. I wasn¡¯t sure how to react so I focused on Chris. Chewing on my lip, I tried to figure out what to do. ¡°Hey, speaking of coming down there, I think I¡¯m going to have to pass.¡±


    ¡°What? Why? I wanted you to help shop for the house, Sierra. I was so hoping to have some girl time.¡±


    Sighing, I pulled down the oak-lined street that led to my perfect little hideaway. ¡°I know, but I think it¡¯s best if I stay in town. I mean, Dodge is talking about bringing in an old friend who Robert is accusing me of having an affair with. Now is not the time to be leaving town.¡±


    Hearing Ryn moan, my heart broke just a little. With Dodge being the new lawyer on my case, and the chance of me getting to see him more often now, I couldn¡¯t think of a better reason to stay in Austin.


    Oh Jesus. I¡¯m pathetic.


    ¡°Fine, I understand. Maybe I can talk Lark and Azurdee into coming down.¡±


    Smiling, I pulled into my driveway. I already was feeling better as I looked at the new geraniums I had planted along the sidewalk, in full bloom. ¡°I bet she would love to get away and have a couple days relaxing and shopping with you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, maybe. Hey, I¡¯ve got to run, a client is calling. Talk to you soon, Sierra.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Tell Tristan hi and I¡¯ll chat with ya soon.¡±


    Stepping out of the car, I inhaled a deep breath. Even though I was in the middle of Austin, it still felt like I was far away from everything and everyone. Walking up to the door, I smiled as I thought about the nice hot bath I was fixin¡¯ to soak in.


    Finally getting my heart to calm down after my meeting with Dodge, I headed to the master bedroom after tossing my purse and keys on the coffee table.


    ¡°What I need is a nice long hot bath and to push Dodge, or Aaron, or whoever he is now, far from my mind.¡±


    After pouring lavender into the hot running water, I headed back into the bedroom as I stripped out of my clothes. Grabbing my iPod, I walked back into the bathroom. Slowly slipping into the hot water, I slid down and sighed. My body instantly relaxed as I put my ear buds in and set my iPod down on the old stool I kept next to the tub.


    Keeping my eyes closed, I let the heat of the water and the smell of the lavender completely take all my troubles away as I listened to Stoney LaRue sing in my ears. My body slowly began to relax as images of Dodge popped into my mind. I wasn¡¯t sure how long I was in the tub, but when my body started to chill, I knew I had been sitting in there long enough. Pulling the plug, I stepped out of my claw-foot tub and grabbed a towel. Wrapping it around my body, I headed into my bedroom. Stopping dead in my tracks, I sucked in a breath as I looked at the red rose laying on my pillow. Spinning around, I quickly began going through my house. Walking up to the front door, I noticed it was still locked. Running into the kitchen, I checked the back door.

 Page 8

    Locked.


    My heart began pounding as I walked back to the bedroom; tears began streaming down my face as I stood and stared at the rose.


    Someone had been in my house.


    Wiping my tears away with my shaky hands, I walked to the side of my bed and grabbed the rose. Dropping the rose back onto the bed, Robert popped into my head.


    Covering my mouth, I fell onto my bed and began sobbing. Oh my god. Oh my god, he was in my house! Robert was in my house.


    Sitting up, I wiped my tears away shook my head and tried to calm myself down. ¡°No. You will not make me afraid to be in my own home. I will not let you.¡±


    Quickly getting up, I made my way to the dresser and grabbed panties, a T-shirt, and sweatpants. Getting dressed as fast as I could, I grabbed the rose and headed to my car. I wasn¡¯t sure if I should even be doing this, but he was the only person I knew to turn to.


    Before heading over to my car, I lifted the lid to my trash can and threw the rose away. Getting in my car, I attempted to control my shaking hands. Reaching to turn my car on, I jumped when my phone started ringing. Picking it up, it was an unknown number.


    Taking in a deep breath, I said, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing, Sierra?¡±


    My body tensed and I instantly began sweating as my heart dropped to my stomach.


    ¡°R-Robert? How in the hell did you get in my house?¡±


    Robert let out a small chuckle. ¡°Sierra, please. We both know I¡¯m capable of getting to you if I want to. But, I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Is this your latest tactic, Robert? Trying to scare me? It won¡¯t work. You¡¯re never going to win and you will never lay a hand on me again. I swear.¡±


    ¡°Is that a threat, Sierra? Are you threatening my life, sweetheart?¡±


    Closing my eyes, I shook my head. ¡°Why, darling, I would never threaten your life. Remember, if I wanted to, I¡¯d have your ass sitting in jail for hitting me. Do you remember that night . . . sweetheart?¡±


    Robert let out a laugh that ran through my body like a thousand pins were poking me.


    ¡°A moment of weakness on my part. I already told you I was drunk and not thinking straight. I didn¡¯t call to talk about that unfortunate night.¡±


    Letting out a gruff laugh, I said, ¡°We have nothing to talk about, Robert. All communication will now be going through my lawyer.¡±


    Robert let out a loud laugh. ¡°Sierra, you do realize by changing lawyers, it¡¯s not going to help your case. He isn¡¯t going to be able to help you. At all.¡±


    Swallowing hard, I closed my eyes. ¡°He is going to be able to help me, Robert, and I promise you, he won¡¯t let you near me ever again.¡±


    Jumping when I heard something crashing in the background, I let out a small scream. ¡°Fuck him, Sierra. You are mine, do you understand that? You think you can do better than me, you damn whore? I was the best thing that ever happened to you.¡±


    Covering my mouth with my hand, I attempted to hold back my sobs. Why is he doing this? What happened to the man I fell in love with and married?


    Taking the phone away from my ear, I dragged in a few breaths to calm myself down. Placing the phone back against my ear, I concentrated on speaking clearly.


    ¡°Robert, you bore me with your childish actions. The only person in this scenario who is a whore is my ex-friend who was shacking up with a married man. I suggest you stop calling me, and if you ever set foot in my house again . . . I will kill you. And Robert? That is not a threat . . . that¡¯s a promise.¡±


    Pulling my phone back, I hit End and let my tears fall as I looked for Dodge¡¯s number. Oh. My. God. Robert is having me followed. He¡¯s breaking into my house and having me followed. What in the hell is going on with him?


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    All I could hear were people talking and what sounded like a band playing in the background. Then I heard a female voice, ¡°Aaron, let¡¯s dance again!¡±


    My heart slammed against my chest as I realized Dodge must be out on a date. Shit. Attempting to keep my voice from cracking, I failed big time. ¡°Dodge? Umm . . . sorry . . . is now a bad time to talk to you?¡±


    ¡°Sierra? No! Wait, give me two seconds to get outside so I can hear better.¡±


    Smiling slightly, I liked the idea he would stop in the middle of a date to take my call.


    Taking in a deep breath, I waited for Dodge to start talking again. Dropping my head back on the headrest, I let out a frustrated moan. This was stupid to be calling Dodge first. I should be calling my father. But Dodge did tell me if I got anything from Robert to send it his way. So I was doing the right thing . . . I think.

 Page 9

    The moment the music stopped, Dodge started speaking again. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    You¡¯ve got this, Sierra. You are not a pussy. Taking in a deep breath, I tried to talk. ¡°You said . . . um . . . to call you if . . .¡±


    ¡°Sierra, did Robert do something? Did he call you or text you again?¡±


    ¡°He was . . . well, I mean I think he was in my house, Dodge.¡±


    The line remained silent for a few seconds. ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Sitting in my car in my driveway.¡±


    Dodge covered up the phone and said something to someone in a muffled voice. ¡°Sierra?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± I hated how weak my voice sounded.


    ¡°Meet me at Hyde Park Bar and Grill in fifteen minutes.¡±


    He¡¯s leaving his date? For me? Holy hell, pull yourself together, Sierra. You¡¯re his client for Christ¡¯s sake and that¡¯s it. It didn¡¯t matter that I had fantasized many a lonely night about Dodge¡¯s lips or his hands moving over my body.


    ¡°Dodge, are you sure? I don¡¯t want to interrupt anything; I mean if you¡¯re on a date or something. I can call my father and we can wait until tomorrow to talk.¡±


    ¡°No, Sierra. I want to talk to you now. If your ex is breaking into your house, it can¡¯t wait until tomorrow to talk. Karen will understand.¡±


    Karen? Who in the hell is Karen? Balling my fists, I fought the urge to pound this girl¡¯s face into the ground.


    ¡°Sierra? Are you still there?¡±


    Closing my eyes, I let out a small breath as I whispered, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll meet you at Hyde Park Bar and Grill.¡±


    Fifteen minutes later, I walked in the restaurant and looked around. Dodge wasn¡¯t there yet so I made my way over to the bar.


    Sitting down, I smiled as the bartender approached me. ¡°Hey there, beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Flattery will for sure get you at least a smile,¡± I said with a purr. Laughing, he wiped the bar down in front of me.


    ¡°What will you have?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll take a water, she¡¯s driving.¡±


    The hairs on my body rose as I slowly looked over my shoulder to see Robert standing there.


    ¡°W-what in the hell are you doing? Following me now, Robert? Is my life that interesting to you?¡±


    I was stunned by how calm I sounded, when really my heart was beating so incredibly fast I was sure Robert would hear it.


    Robert sat down as the bartender handed me a bottle of water. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯ll take a lemon drop please.¡±


    Glancing at Robert quickly, I looked back to the bartender, laughed, and said, ¡°Hello? He¡¯s not my father and the last I checked I was twenty-one and able to order my own drinks. I¡¯ll have a lemon drop. Please.¡±


    Smiling and giving me a wink, the bartender said, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. One lemon drop coming up.¡±


    Pushing the water over to Robert, I slowly took in a deep breath as I smirked and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Robert? Feeling bored with Lisa¡¯s pussy power tonight?¡±


    Clinching his jaws together, Robert closed his eyes and shook his head before opening them and glaring at me. ¡°Let¡¯s stop making this difficult and sign the damn paperwork my lawyer sent your lawyer and we can move on.¡± Lifting his hand up, he brushed the back of his hand down my face as I quickly jerked away.


    ¡°Do not touch me, asshat.¡±


    Leaning in closer to me, Robert placed his lips up to my ear. ¡°Now now, Sierra. You damn well know how your spunky attitude turns me on. I believe you told me once my touch lit your body on fire.¡±


    Pulling my head back, I gave him my best smile. ¡°That was before I was touched by a real man.¡±


    Robert¡¯s eyes turned black as he grabbed my leg and began to squeeze it. Holding my smile firmly in place, I tilted my head and bit down on my lower lip. Not because I liked him touching me, but because I was fighting like hell not to show he was hurting me.


    ¡°Who have you been fucking, Sierra?¡±


    Attempting to talk, I fought like hell to keep my voice from shaking. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know? According to you, Robert, it¡¯s Jeremy.¡±


    Robert was about to say something when he was quickly jerked back. ¡°Excuse me, if you wish to speak to my client, you¡¯ll have to communicate through your attorney who will in turn contact me.¡±


    Letting out the breath I was holding, I closed my eyes and thanked God quickly that Dodge showed up when he did.


    ¡°Who might you be? Her fuck-buddy?¡± Robert said as he glared at Dodge.


    Dodge smiled that smile that made my insides melt and my lower body explode with desire.

 Page 10

    Leaning in closer, Dodge said, ¡°I¡¯m her lawyer. When my client calls me after hours to tell me the husband she is legally separated from has broken into her house, I come running.¡±


    Robert let out a gruff laugh as he looked Dodge up and down. ¡°New lawyer or not, I¡¯ll get what I want. And as far as breaking into her house, you¡¯re delusional. I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I need to call my lawyer; we need to get our game plan together to win this case against my cheating wife.¡±


    Dodge practically had steam coming from his ears as he leaned in closer. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on it, asshole.¡±


    Robert turned to me and said, ¡°Got yourself a real professional lawyer there, baby. I¡¯ll be seeing you around, Sierra.¡±


    Smirking, I grabbed my lemon drop as I said, ¡°I highly doubt that. Tell Lisa I said hey.¡±


    Robert glared at me, and if looks could kill, I¡¯d be flat on my ass right now. Turning on his heels, Robert left. Slumping a bit in my chair, I closed my eyes and counted to ten. I couldn¡¯t talk just yet, or I would sound like a baby. Finally opening my eyes, I smiled at Dodge and said, ¡°Thank you so much for co¡ª¡±


    And that¡¯s when I saw her. Dodge¡¯s date. Who also happened to be the receptionist at Dodge¡¯s law firm. Oh my God. He brought her with him? He didn¡¯t leave his date for me. Looking away, I felt the tears building in my eyes. How stupid am I? Digging my nails into my hand, I plastered on a fake smile. Reaching into my purse, I pulled out a twenty and threw it onto the bar.


    My eyes traveled to the brunette standing in front of me. She had her hand wrapped around Dodge¡¯s arm and was smiling like she knew something I didn¡¯t.


    Bitch.


    Standing up, I cleared my throat as I looked into Dodge¡¯s eyes and shook my head. ¡°Why am I not surprised? The receptionist huh? Seems to be the common thing with men.¡±


    The brunette¡¯s smile faded some as she looked at Dodge. Rolling my eyes, I pushed past them as I whispered under my breath, ¡°Fucking men.¡±


    I began walking toward the exit as fast as I could. Dodge called out my name as I practically began to run. ¡°Sierra! Sierra, wait.¡± Holding up my hand, I made it out the door and to my car. Quickly opening the door, I tried to get in before Dodge caught up to me.


    ¡°Sierra, please stop for a second,¡± Dodge said as he slammed my car door shut.


    Feeling as if I would break down in tears, I looked away. ¡°Dodge, just let me go. I¡¯ve had a hell of a day, and now I need to find a hotel because I¡¯m scared to death my crazy-ass husband is going to walk into my house at any moment.¡±


    ¡°Sierra, let me just explain. Karen and I were just¡ª¡±


    Letting out a sarcastic laugh, I held up my hands and said, ¡°It¡¯s your personal life, sport, and you¡¯re free to do what you want with it.¡± Anger quickly filled my body as I looked back at him. ¡°How foolish of me to think you would actually be going over my case this evening like you said.¡± Slowly shaking my head, I continued, ¡°The only thing you were going over was the brunette¡¯s body. I guess it makes no difference, does it?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Dodge asked frustrated.


    ¡°Whether you¡¯re a bartender or a lawyer, you still like having fun with the girls. Is this a rebound fuck, Dodge? Maybe just one of the girls in the office you¡¯re fucking.¡± Holding my hands up, I shook my head. ¡°Right, listen it¡¯s none of my business.¡±


    Pushing him away, I attempted to open the door. ¡°I do have a personal life, Sierra.¡±


    Nodding my head, I whispered, ¡°Yep, you sure do. I¡¯ll be requesting a new lawyer first thing tomorrow.¡±


    Dodge grabbed me and spun me around. ¡°What? I don¡¯t think so. You can¡¯t dump me just because you see me with another woman. You haven¡¯t even given me a chance on your case. What I do in my spare time is my business.¡±


    Smiling, I shrugged my shoulders. ¡°Call me sentimental, but men sleeping with their receptionists kind of turns my stomach. You know . . . brings back bad memories. I think this time I¡¯ll ask for a female lawyer.¡±


    Dodge pressed me against my car and got closer to me. ¡°The fuck you will. My father gave me this case, and I fully intend to win it and prove to him I¡¯m a good lawyer. I will not let our personal relationship get in the way. You¡¯re my client and nothing more.¡±


    The moment the words were out of his mouth I felt like it was the last blow my heart could take. My body slumped as I fought to hold back the tears. There was one thing I never wanted another man to see ever again, and that was the hurt they caused. I knew the moment Dodge sucked in a breath he had seen my moment of weakness.

 Page 11

    The single tear rolling down my face.


    HURT MOVED ACROSS SIERRA¡¯S FACE as I sucked in a breath at the sight of her tear. Moving her hand and wiping it away, she gave me a weak smile. ¡°I see. So this case is just a way to prove to daddy you¡¯ve got what it takes to win one, right?¡±


    Shaking my head, I whispered, ¡°No.¡±


    Tilting her head, Sierra glared at me. ¡°I mean, yes and no. It¡¯s not just about winning this case, Sierra. I . . . I can¡¯t stand to think what all that fucker did to you, and I want to take him down.¡±


    Nodding her head, she looked down. ¡°So, is your receptionist helping you with my case at a bar or something, Dodge? Is that how you review files? Is that your idea of going over my file? I mean I am the client, so I expect certain things from you. Or maybe you and the receptionist were hitting your old stomping grounds. I heard you liked to fuck girls over your desk.¡±


    Holy shit. Sierra was jealous I was out with Karen. What the fuck? She¡¯s the one leaving to go spend time with her new boy-toy.


    ¡°We were having dinner and a drink and then I was heading home, if it¡¯s any of your business.¡± The sad thing was, that was exactly what was going to happen. Once Karen opened her mouth and began talking, I was instantly turned off and the only thing I could think about through dinner was Sierra.


    Swallowing hard, Sierra glanced back to me. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t any of my business. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Shaking her head, she looked at the ground. ¡°It¡¯s just been a really shit-filled day, and knowing Robert was in my house while I was in the bath just kind of has me freaked out. Listen, I¡¯m sorry I even bothered you, but you said to call you if Robert tried anything.¡±


    My mouth dropped open. ¡°What? You were home when he was there?¡±


    Sierra¡¯s eyes looked lost and that threw me. I¡¯d never seen her like that. Her guard was down and her eyes were filled with sadness. ¡°I just want to go find a hotel, Dodge. I¡¯m tired and I can¡¯t deal with all of this right now. I rushed out of my house without anything.¡±


    Panic set in for some reason. Not wanting her to leave, I grabbed her by the arms. ¡°Sierra, look at me.¡±


    Closing her eyes, she whispered, ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Shaking her head, she pushed me away and quickly got into her car as I stood there and watched her pull away. What in the hell happened just now? She went from completely pissed off to . . . defeated.


    ¡°Is everything okay, Aaron?¡±


    Closing my eyes, I let out a frustrated sigh. ¡°Yeah, Karen, do you mind if we call it a night? I¡¯ve got to get caught up on Sierra¡¯s case.¡±


    Karen licked her lips as she walked up to me and said, ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to go back to my place?¡±


    The hurt that washed over Sierra¡¯s face crept back into my mind. Looking at Karen, I smiled. ¡°Listen, it was wrong of me to ask you out. I think you¡¯re a knock-out and believe me, if I wasn¡¯t working at the law firm I¡¯d have no problem . . . well . . . let¡¯s just say it¡¯s best if we keep our relationship professional.¡±


    Pouting, Karen nodded her head and said, ¡°Of course. I understand.¡± Placing her hands on my chest, Karen smiled. ¡°Aaron, may I offer a bit of advice?¡±


    Smiling, I nodded my head. ¡°I¡¯ve seen that look before on a man¡¯s face. The look you gave Sierra. Are you sure you should be handling her case?¡±


    Pulling my head back, I let out a nervous laugh. ¡°W-what look?¡±


    Raising an eyebrow to me, Karen chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a cab home. Go make sure she¡¯s okay. I saw the fear in her eyes when her husband was talking to her.¡±


    Leaning over, I kissed Karen on the cheek. ¡°Thank you for understanding, but you will not take a cab home. The least I can do is take you home.¡±


    ¡°Deal,¡± Karen said with a wink as she wrapped her arm around mine and we headed back to my truck.


    The entire time we drove to Karen¡¯s, I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Sierra. How in the hell did Robert get into her house?


    Pulling into Karen¡¯s driveway, I turned off my truck and started to get out. ¡°Aaron, I¡¯ve been thinking about something that has been bugging me.¡±


    Looking at her, I asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°How did Sierra¡¯s husband know she would be at Hyde Park Bar and Grill? Do you think he¡¯s having her followed?¡±


    Taking in a deep breath through my nose, I nodded my head as I exhaled. ¡°Yeah. I do.¡±


    Karen shook her head. ¡°You need to go check on her. I¡¯ll show myself in. Thanks for dinner.¡±

 Page 12

    Smiling, I said, ¡°Thanks for understanding, Karen. Have a good evening.¡±


    Giving me a wink, she shut the door and headed to her house. Waiting until she got inside, I started up my truck and headed to Sierra¡¯s house.


    Pulling up four houses down from Sierra¡¯s, I sat in my truck for a few minutes. Nothing seemed out of place, and I didn¡¯t see anyone sitting in a vehicle. Glancing at my watch, it was just past nine thirty. Getting out of my truck, I made my way to her house.


    Taking a quick look around, I didn¡¯t see anyone. Ringing the doorbell, I waited for Sierra to come to the door as I saw the light disappear from the peephole.


    The door unlocked and slowly opened as Sierra eyed me up and down. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, finished with the receptionist and thought you might get lucky with a client?¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I glared at her. My heart hurt when I noticed how red and swollen her eyes were. ¡°I wanted to make sure you were okay. I thought you were going to a hotel for the night?¡±


    Something crossed over Sierra¡¯s face, but I couldn¡¯t read it. Her eyes landed on my lips and I instinctively licked them. ¡°I¡¯m fine. My father is coming over to stay with me. You didn¡¯t need to interrupt your date more than you already had.¡±


    Pushing out a frustrated breath, I shook my head and looked away. ¡°Would you mind if I came in and looked around?¡±


    Laughing, Sierra tilted her head. ¡°What happened, sport? Did the brunette turn you down, so you thought you would come knocking on my door? Sorry, but I¡¯ve officially given up on all men so you¡¯ll have to go find your fun somewhere else.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t going to work. There was no way I could work this case. Between the urge to either kiss the living shit out of her or strangler her, there was no way we would be able to work together. ¡°You know what, Sierra? I think you¡¯re right. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to be able to represent you. I¡¯ll talk to my father first thing in the morning and let him know you and I have a past together and it¡¯s best if someone else takes the case.¡±


    Turning, I began to walk off. ¡°Dodge! Wait.¡±


    Holding back my smile, I internally fist pumped as I slowly turned around. So hard-ass Sierra doesn¡¯t like being pushed back? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dodge. It¡¯s just I¡¯ve had a really crap-ass day.¡±


    Nodding my head, I took a few steps closer to her. ¡°So you said earlier. May I take a look around your house?¡±


    Sierra¡¯s eyes lit up and my dick jumped as I watched her walking away. Damn, why does she have to have such a nice ass? Shaking my head to clear my wayward thoughts, I glanced around Sierra¡¯s house. It was cute. Girlish. Lots of blue and yellow. It reminded me of my parents¡¯ cottage house on Nantucket.


    Sierra leaned against the kitchen island and crossed her arms over her chest, lifting her already perky tits up even more. Sticking my hand in my pocket, I had to pinch the hell out of myself to get my dick to go down.


    Glancing over to her refrigerator, I saw a note taped to it. What the fuck?


    Holy mother of god. Fuck me. Taking in a deep breath, I slowly blew it out as I looked back at Sierra.


    She gave me that damn cute little smile of hers as she looked me over.


    I needed to get through this case. Please let me get through this case without fucking up.


    Closing my eyes, I pictured fucking Sierra in my truck.


    On the beach.


    In a hot tub.


    Oh hell yeah, I would love to give her her first sixty-nine.


    My eyes snapped open when I thought of the threesome wish. Fuck that. I would never share Sierra with another man.


    Never.


    Holy shit, I was standing there planning out her sex bucket list. Focus, Walker. Focus.


    ¡°Um . . . Dodge, are you going to stand there, or are you going to do it already? I haven¡¯t got all night.¡±


    My mouth dropped open as my legs began to grow weak while the room started spinning. ¡°Oh shit.¡±


    The next thing I remembered was Sierra screaming out my name.


    Opening my eyes, I saw blue eyes staring down at me. ¡°What happened?¡± I mumbled.


    Worrying her lower lip, Sierra said, ¡°You um . . . you kind of passed out. Does this happen often?¡±


    Scrubbing my hands down my face, I let out a frustrated moan. ¡°No, but it used to when I was younger. Fuck.¡±


    ¡°Well, you woke up enough to crawl over to the sofa, but then when I tried to help you up onto the sofa, you took one look at my chest area and passed out again.¡± Raising her eyebrow she said, ¡°I tell ya, that¡¯s not a very big ego booster, ya know. Having a guy look at your breasts and then pass the hell out. Unless you¡¯re so overtaken by how amazing they are . . . yeah . . . then you can pass out.¡±

 Page 13

    Laughing, I sat up and swung my feet around. ¡°No, I would think it wouldn¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°Medical problems?¡± Sierra asked.


    Shaking my head, I said, ¡°Nope. It used to happen when I got um . . . overly tired.¡±


    Biting on that damn lower lip of hers, Sierra slowly nodded and said, ¡°Oh. I was kind of hoping for something more dramatic. Less boring.¡±


    My eyes snapped back to her as she shrugged her shoulders and stood up. ¡°Want a beer?¡±


    Dropping my mouth open, I stared at her. ¡°I just passed the fuck out¡ªtwice, in your house and you shrug your shoulders and ask if I want a beer?¡±


    Glancing back over her shoulder, Sierra laughed. ¡°Oh my God. Grow up you big pussy. I¡¯m a labor and delivery nurse. I¡¯ve seen things worse than a guy passing out. Trust me. Try pushing a thirteen-pound kid out of your body and then we¡¯ll talk.¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I stood up and got my bearings straight. I would not let Sierra Jackson get to me like that ever again.


    Never.


    Ever.


    Again.


    COVERING MY MOUTH TO HIDE my smile, I couldn¡¯t help but notice how Dodge was looking at me. Tired, my ass. He took one look at my sex bucket list, fantasized for a few seconds and then took one look at my tits, and bam! He hit the floor. Twice!


    Shaking his head as if he was wiping a memory away, he looked around. ¡°Where was the rose left?¡±


    Using my finger to motion for him to follow me, I walked to the master bedroom and pointed to the pillow where the rose had been. ¡°I think in all the time I was with Robert he only gave me flowers when he left to go out of town. Come to think of it . . . it was always a rose. Just a single rose.¡±


    Dodge glanced over his shoulder at me and said, ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±


    Shrugging, I said, ¡°Nope. Serious as all get out.¡±


    Shaking his head, Dodge walked over to one of the windows. ¡°What an asshole. Fucker was probably cheating on you the whole time.¡±


    My smile faded some as I let out a couple small chuckles. ¡°Why do you say he was cheating?¡±


    Dodge shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Was it something he has done since the very beginning? Or something he just started doing, within the last few years? The single flower thing.¡±


    Placing my hand over my mouth, I slowly sat down on the bed as my eyes widened in horror. ¡°Oh. My. God.¡±


    Walking into the bathroom, Dodge let out a whistle. ¡°Nice.¡±


    Standing back up, I began pacing. ¡°Holy hell. That asshat! That motherfucking asshat.¡±


    Walking back by me, Dodge headed into the living room, walking up to each window. ¡°All falling into place now is it, short stack?¡±


    Nodding my head, I aimless followed him around. ¡°Lisa started working for Robert almost as soon as he joined the practice he¡¯s in now. They had a receptionist, but Robert insisted he wanted his own. I remember him asking me about my best friend from college. She used to work part time at a doctor¡¯s office while we went to school. Robert wanted to know if she still lived in Austin and needed a job. Once she started working for him, he started having out of town trips.¡±


    Slapping my hands to my face, I screamed. ¡°Stupid! How could I have been so stupid and not seen it?¡± Dropping my hands down to my sides, I stopped talking as I looked at Dodge.


    Dodge cleared his throat and said, ¡°Here¡¯s where he got in. The window was unlocked.¡± Quickly making my way over to the window, I stopped and looked at it. Sure enough, it was unlocked and you could tell the screen had been removed.


    ¡°But how? I keep them locked.¡±


    Dodge took another look around. Walking up to my fireplace mantel, he took his finger and ran across it. That fucker. He is not checking to see if my house is clean!


    Bastard!


    Placing my hands on my hips, I glared at Dodge. ¡°What are you doing? Would you like a white glove? Do have a phobia with dirt or something?¡±


    Dodge turned to me and showed the finger he just ran across the mantel. ¡°You must have someone come to the house and clean.¡±


    Letting out a gasp, my mouth dropped open. ¡°Seriously? Are you really saying I can¡¯t keep my own house clean? Because I¡¯ll have you know, I¡¯m freakishly clean, dickhead! Like freakishly border-line obsessed with cleaning.¡±


    Holding up his hands, Dodge laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t get your panties in a twist. Damn. Okay so that rules out a housecleaner.¡±


    Feeling my face turn hot, I looked away. ¡°Well. Actually I um . . . I have a housecleaner,¡± I mumbled.


    Dodge took a step closer. ¡°What was that, Sierra? I didn¡¯t quite get that.¡±

 Page 14

    Letting out a breath, I quickly said, ¡°I have a housecleaner.¡±


    Walking up next me, my body shuddered as Dodge leaned in closer to me. His hot breath blowing on my neck caused my stomach to drop and my heart to plummet. ¡°What did you say, sweetheart?¡±


    Closing my eyes, I moaned internally. Oh god. Just take me right now. Imagining Dodge¡¯s hands on my body, his lips on mine, his thick hard¡ª


    ¡°Sierra? Are you not feeling well?¡±


    Opening my eyes, I snapped out of my fantasy and stepped away from Dodge. ¡°Of course I am.¡±


    ¡°You moaned.¡±


    Laughing, I said, ¡°I did not.¡±


    ¡°Did too.¡±


    ¡°Did not, asshole.¡±


    ¡°You also didn¡¯t have a housecleaner a minute ago and now you do,¡± Dodge said as he sat down in the recliner and gave me a smirk that unfortunately made him hotter than normal. What would he do if I crawled on top of him and began grinding up against him?


    ¡°Oh, for the love of God!¡± I shouted as I turned and headed into the kitchen. I needed something cold. Fast.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, short stack?¡±


    Slamming the beer bottle onto the granite, I was stunned it didn¡¯t break. ¡°Don¡¯t. Call. Me. That. You know I hate it!¡±


    Lifting his eyebrow, Dodge purred, ¡°Do you, short stack?¡±


    ¡°Dodge!¡±


    Laughing, he shook his head and sat back. ¡°It was the housecleaner. She left the window unlocked.¡±


    Turning to look at the window, I shook my head. ¡°No way.¡±


    ¡°Yes way. I¡¯ll bet Robert gave her a little something for doing it.¡±


    ¡°Mindy Sue? No. Oh my gosh, no! She was the best housecleaner ever! She used to tell me what hot sexy books to read. Damn it! Now how am I going to get my smut?¡± That caught Dodge¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Smut books, huh?¡±


    Shrugging my shoulders I decided to see if I could get Dodge to pass out again. ¡°I have to get my orgasms in somehow. A little book boyfriend fantasy, a vibrator, a glass of a wine and bam. Easily two orgasms guaranteed.¡±


    Dodge began choking on his own spit, and I fought like hell to keep my smile in.


    ¡°Jesus, do you ever think before you talk, Sierra?¡±


    ¡°Why, Dodge, does me talking about orgasms make you nervous? Feel like you might . . . pass out?¡±


    Letting out a nervous chuckle, Dodge rolled his eyes. ¡°Hell no. I can talk about sex. I¡¯ll talk about sex all damn night if you want to, short stack.¡±


    Oh, dear God. I¡¯d never make it ten minutes into the conversation before I threw myself at him and begged him to show me all about sex.


    Sex with Robert was always very plain¡ªnothing exciting. The only real exciting sex I ever had was with my first boyfriend in college . . . shit what was his name? Then there was sex with Tristan, but I chose to bury that deep down inside.


    ¡°Why are you staring at me like that, Sierra? You want to talk about sex, baby?¡± Dodge said as he stood and began walking toward me.


    Stay. Strong. Do not look the enemy in the eye.


    Damn. He sure does look nice tonight.


    Look away! For the love of God . . . look away!


    Turning slightly away from Dodge, I brushed him off with my hand. ¡°Please, I¡¯ve got a new book calling for me that you interrupted. Besides, I don¡¯t think my father would be too pleased to walk in on us talking about sex.¡±


    Turning completely away from him, I held my breath and prayed like hell he didn¡¯t mention S. E. X. again. Damn, I hope I charged BOB. I¡¯m going to need him after this little visit.


    Stopping right behind me, Dodge placed his hands on my arms as I cursed my betraying body while it shuddered.


    Tilting my head slightly as he brought his lips next to my ear, I grabbed onto the kitchen island. I held on for dear life and tried to think about anything other than the fact that I wanted Dodge to fuck me on it.


    Man-whore. Rebound fuck. Bartender. Oh no, that doesn¡¯t work anymore. Damn it. Man-whore! Rebound fuck. Sex . . . no . . . no sex! Don¡¯t think sex! Pizza. I could go for some pizza right now.


    Dodge¡¯s hot breath moved across my skin, leaving a path of tingles in its wake. ¡°Pizza is definitely not what I¡¯m in the mood for.¡±


    Shit. I said that out loud?


    Swallowing hard, I tilted my head more as Dodge brushed his lips against my sensitive skin. ¡°W-what are you . . . in the . . . mood for . . . then?¡± I panted between heavy breaths.


    Jesus, I needed to get laid. My voice sounded too needy.


    The feel of Dodge¡¯s lips on my skin was driving me mad. Ugh, I hated him for making me feel this way.

 Page 15

    ¡°S. E. X. on the beach,¡± Dodge whispered as he quickly stepped away and grabbed his keys off the kitchen island.


    Dragging in a deep breath, I attempted to regain my composure. Fuck me! One of my sex bucket list items.


    ¡°Fire the housecleaner, Sierra, and get your locks changed before you leave for South Texas.¡±


    My mind was swimming. I tried like hell to not let on how worked up I currently was. ¡°Okay,¡± I mumbled.


    Dodge opened the door and was about to shut it when I remembered Chris. Dodge thought I was going to South Texas to see Chris.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Stopping quickly, Dodge pushed the door open a little as his eyes danced with excitement. Oh, he was feeling this just as much as I was. Giving him a weak smile, I said, ¡°I¡¯m not going to South Texas. I told Ryn I wasn¡¯t in the mood to go shopping for the house and that you might need me here for Jeremy.¡±


    Dodge¡¯s face lit up like Christmas morning. ¡°You were going to see Ryn and Tristan?¡±


    Bingo. Yep. He totally thought I screwed around with Chris. Never mind the small fact that I noticed he was not happy about the thought of me with Chris. Score one for Sierra! Nodding my head, I said, ¡°Yeah. Who else would I be going to see?¡±


    Shrugging his shoulder, Dodge winked and said, ¡°Don¡¯t know. See you tomorrow morning, say nine? We¡¯ll go over everything together. See if anything was missed.¡±


    Damn it, that¡¯s like ten hours away! ¡°Sure. Sounds great!¡± I said in a way too chipper voice.


    Dodge shut the door as I walked over, grabbed a sofa pillow and screamed into it. Throwing it across the room, I shook my head. ¡°Damn you, Dodge Walker. Getting me all worked up like this. You bastard!¡±


    My phone buzzed as I walked over and grabbed it. It was from Dodge.


    Dodge: My father might sit in on our meeting. So don¡¯t come in like jeans or anything.


    My mouth dropped open as I started at the text message. ¡°How dare he tell me how to dress. Bastard!¡±


    Me: I¡¯ll be coming from work. I¡¯ll be dressed in scrubs. Get over it asshole. My own father doesn¡¯t even tell me how to dress.


    Dodge: Fine.


    Me: What? No smart-ass reply? You¡¯re losing your touch!


    Slumping down onto the sofa, I tried to push away the disappointment of Dodge not responding back to me. Holy hell . . . what did I think this was? High school?


    Five minutes later, my father stood at my door with his overnight bag. Smiling, I gave him a kiss as he marched through the door.


    ¡°That fucker. I¡¯ll have his ass taken out if he breaks into my daughter¡¯s house again,¡± my father said as he threw his bag down on the sofa.


    ¡°Nice to see you too, Daddy,¡± I said as I made my way into the kitchen.


    My phone buzzed as I pulled it out of my pocket.


    Dodge: An alarm is top priority tomorrow morning.


    Smiling, I shook my head. I wondered if Dodge would be like this with all his clients. Chewing on my lower lip, I attempted to come up with some sort of smart-ass remark, but I was so taken by how much he was worried about me, I fell short. ¡°Shit. I¡¯m losing my touch.¡±


    ¡°First thing tomorrow morning I¡¯m calling an alarm company. Top-of-the-line shit for my baby girl. Top. Of. The. Line.¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I spent the next few minutes talking to my father about alarms. Another five minutes was spent talking him out of buying a Rottweiler for me.


    ¡°Daddy, I¡¯m exhausted. Can we chat about this tomorrow?¡±


    Grabbing his beer, he lifted his hand and headed to the living room where he sat on the sofa and put the TV on CNN.


    Letting out a groan, I headed to the front door where I made sure it was locked. Slowly made my way to my bedroom, I stripped out of my clothes and face planted onto my bed. Rolling over, I let out a frustrated cry as I pictured blue eyes staring into mine. The feel of his hot breath on my neck had my lower abdomen pulsing with need.


    Shaking my head, my hand slipped between my legs. ¡°I hate you, Dodge. God, I really I hate you.¡±


    STANDING IN THE COLD SHOWER, I tilted my head back as the water rolled down my face and I cursed Sierra Jackson. My dick had been rock hard since she started talking about sex and vibrators, and the bastard was still hard. It took another five minutes and standing under an ice-cold shower before it finally realized it would not be getting any action tonight.


    Making my way into bed, I dropped down and then fell back. ¡°Damn, I¡¯m exhausted.¡±


    Crawling up to my pillow, I lifted my hips and pulled my towel off, letting it fall the floor. My mother would flip if she had ever seen a wet towel on the floor. Fuck it. Janice would get it tomorrow when she came to clean.

 Page 16

    Letting out a deep sigh, my body began to relax. All thoughts of a certain blonde, blue-eyed vixen quickly disappeared as sleep won over.


    Sitting in the conference room, my leg bounced as I went over Sierra¡¯s file. The more I read, the more pissed I got. Her last lawyer was a complete jackass. I needed to let my father know it was time to cut strings with him.


    The door opened as I glanced up. Smiling, my father walked in and sat down at the very end of the table. ¡°So. What are your thoughts?¡±


    ¡°First off, he¡¯s an asshole.¡±


    My father tilted his head and raised his eyebrow. ¡°That he is.¡±


    ¡°He thinks he has a play with the old college friend; but little does he know, he is married to his partner and they have been living in the UK for the last three years.¡±


    ¡°Nice. String him along with that one,¡± my father said. ¡°If his lawyer is not smart enough to follow through with that, we will use it to our advantage.¡±


    Nodding my head, I said, ¡°Oh I intend to. Jeremy¡¯s Facebook page says he is still in Texas. I¡¯m thinking if he hasn¡¯t changed it by now, he¡¯s not going to anytime soon. Then we have someone breaking into Sierra¡¯s house yesterday . . . while she was home. Left a single rose on her pillow. Sierra said Robert would sometimes leave a single rose when he left to work out of town.¡±


    Rubbing his chin, my father slowly nodded his head. ¡°I think there is more to this. Keep digging. My bet would be it wasn¡¯t the husband who came into the house. He has too much to risk. Mrs. Jackson should be arriving shortly, correct?¡±


    You mean the she-devil herself?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Right then, the conference door flew open and Sierra came tumbling in. Dressed in scrubs that had rubber duckies on them. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she had a light shade of pink on her lips. Seeing my father first, she smiled that brilliant smile of hers. Standing, my father reached his hand out and said, ¡°Mrs. Jackson, you do know how to make an entrance.¡±


    Laughing, she said, ¡°Well, I do demand all the attention. Only-child syndrome and all.¡±


    Turning, she caught my stare. Holy hell, she looked beautiful. I don¡¯t think I had ever seen her look so beautiful. Smiling, she said, ¡°You like rubber duckies, Mr. Walker?¡±


    ¡°Aaron,¡± I whispered as I imagined a rubber ducky thong under her scrub pants. I could easily push it to the side and sink my fingers deep inside her.


    Stop! What in the hell is wrong with me? Focus, man! Focus!


    ¡°Aaron? Are you okay? You look white as a ghost,¡± my father said as he looked at me. Sierra sat down and smiled at me as she ran her tongue along her lips.


    She devil.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to . . . pass out . . . do you?¡± Sierra asked as she looked at my father.


    Bitch.


    Clearing my throat and plotting my revenge on Sierra, I said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s get to business.¡±


    Sitting back in the chair, Sierra stared at me, which made me nervous, which made my heart rate pick up. Which made me feel like I was going to pass out.


    ¡°Jeremy Hines is currently residing in the United Kingdom with his husband of three years.¡±


    Chuckling, Sierra shook her head. ¡°Well damn, that was an expensive affair for me to be having.¡±


    ¡°Clearly Dr. Jackson is unaware of where Mr. Hines is living, or the fact that he is happily married to his partner and the father of a one-year-old little girl.¡±


    ¡°Awe. I¡¯m going to have to send him a card,¡± Sierra said as my father and I both looked at her. Shrugging, she looked away and out the window. Typical Sierra fashion. She was nervous so she cracked jokes.


    Taking in a deep breath and blowing it out, I kept talking. ¡°For now, let¡¯s let your husband think Mr. Hines is a key player until he figures out otherwise, or we break the news to him in court.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Sierra said. Something in her voice changed.


    ¡°Moving on to the next thing on the table. The rose on your pillow last night. You¡¯re positive it wasn¡¯t placed there by your maid?¡±


    Snapping her eyes to me, she narrowed her left eye and said, ¡°Why would the lady who cleans my house leave me a rose? She¡¯s never left one before, and I¡¯m positive it wasn¡¯t there before I got into the tub.¡±


    ¡°Did the maid come to your house yesterday?¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say, Dodge? The maid put it there for me?¡±


    ¡°Dodge?¡± my father asked as he glanced back and forth between Sierra and me. Sierra¡¯s mouth dropped open as she said, ¡°Aaron, I meant to say Aaron.¡±

 Page 17

    Hoping like hell my father would forget what Sierra just said, I quickly started talking. ¡°When I mentioned to him about breaking into your house, he had no idea what I was talking about.¡±


    My father leaned up and looked at me. ¡°When did you talk to Dr. Jackson?¡±


    Fuck.


    ¡°This morning.¡±


    Nodding his head, I was shocked he accepted such a vague answer.


    Sierra¡¯s eyes widened in horror. ¡°If it isn¡¯t Robert?¡± Shaking her head, she stared at me as fear filled her eyes. ¡°Who could it be?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what Aaron will find out for you, Mrs. Jackson. Dr. Jackson very well could have paid off your maid to leave the rose there to scare you.¡± Turning to me, my father stood. ¡°I have a meeting I need to get to. You good here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you, sir, for your help,¡± I said with a smile.


    Giving me a quick smile, my father opened the conference room door. He turned and glanced between Sierra and me. ¡°Check with my secretary for an opening this afternoon; I¡¯d like to speak with you, Aaron.¡±


    Giving him a smile, I said, ¡°Of course, sir.¡±


    Turning, he walked out of the office. The moment the door shut, Sierra stood up. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to call you Dodge. It just slipped.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s get back to the rose.¡±


    ¡°No. No I don¡¯t want to get back to the rose. If we talk about the rose and Robert not being the one who planted it, then that means a total stranger planted it there.¡±


    Sighing, I asked, ¡°Did you call to get the locks changed? What about an alarm?¡±


    Sierra¡¯s hands began to tremble and I wanted more than anything to pull her into my arms and hold her. ¡°Y-yes. I fired the housecleaner and called an alarm company first thing this morning.¡±


    ¡°Good, I¡¯m glad you took care of that first thing.¡±


    Looking down at the table, Sierra barely spoke. ¡°Dodge, the cleaning lady hasn¡¯t been to my house in four days.¡±


    Reaching across the table, I took Sierra¡¯s hand in mine. ¡°They might have waited to come back in so you wouldn¡¯t suspect her.¡±


    Nodding her head, Sierra whispered, ¡°Yeah. Probably.¡±


    Giving me a weak smile, Sierra stood. ¡°I emailed you all the paperwork from the trust fund. I really haven¡¯t taken a look at it to be honest. I always knew when I turned thirty it would be there. It¡¯s not millions of dollars.¡± Shrugging her shoulders, Sierra took in a deep breath. ¡°My father invested in a lot of real estate. I¡¯m thinking Robert wants some of the real estate along the coast.¡±


    Pulling out my phone, I pulled up my email. Seeing Sierra¡¯s email, I nodded my head. ¡°I¡¯ll go over all of this before the trial.¡±


    Standing up, Sierra said, ¡°Okay, sounds good. I have to get back to work but after today, I¡¯m off for two weeks. I wanted my head clear before the court date. Since I¡¯m not going to the coast now or South Texas, I¡¯ll be around.¡±


    My mind began swirling as I thought of reasons to call her down to the office. ¡°Okay, sounds good. Sierra, I have one more question though. Actually, it¡¯s not really a question.¡±


    Throwing her purse over her shoulder, Sierra said, ¡°Shoot.¡±


    Looking down at the file, I got ready for her reaction. ¡°I need you to reconsider the whole incident with Robert when he¡ª¡±


    Holding up her hand, she shook her head. ¡°He was drunk, Dodge. I¡¯m not making excuses, but if I pull this card out, then he pulls a card out and no telling what cards he can make up. I just want this over. I need this to be over. I¡¯m not pressing charges. Period.¡±


    Nodding my head, I whispered, ¡°Right. Okay. Any other text messages from him?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°We go to trial in three weeks; let¡¯s make sure all our ducks are in a row.¡±


    The moment I said it, I knew she would respond in a smart-ass way. ¡°Awe, you do like duckies. Wonder what you would think if you knew I had a pair of ducky panties on right now?¡± Wiggling her eyebrows up and down, my mouth dropped opened.


    My fantasy was going to come true right before my eyes. I¡¯d take her right here on the table. Swallowing hard, I said, ¡°Prove it.¡±


    Sierra¡¯s face turned bright red. ¡°W-what?¡±


    Standing up, I walked over to her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, short stack? You all talk?¡±


    ¡°You wish. I¡¯m just afraid you¡¯ll pass out.¡±


    ¡°Then show me.¡±


    ¡°Ahh . . . yeah . . . so anyone can just walk in and see me showing you my . . .¡±

 Page 18

    Reaching over, I locked the door and sat down in a chair and motioned for the show to begin.


    ¡°Seriously, this is how you want to play this? I thought I was your client,¡± Sierra said as her eyes danced with excitement and my dick jumped at the thought of seeing her in her panties.


    Nodding my head, I said, ¡°Yep. Let¡¯s pretend you¡¯re just Sierra, the smart-ass, and I¡¯m Dodge, the bartender. Hundred bucks you¡¯re lying.¡±


    Throwing her head back and laughing, Sierra placed her hand on her stomach to calm herself down.


    ¡°You¡¯re staling, Mrs. Jackson.¡±


    Biting down on her damn lip, Sierra tossed her purse down onto the table and hooked her thumbs under the elastic of her scrubs. My heart began pounding against my chest as I felt the sweat beginning to build on my forehead.


    Turning around, she looked over her shoulder as she slowly slipped down her scrubs to reveal the string of her thong.


    I¡¯ve died and gone to heaven. Hands to yourself, Dodge. Hands to yourself. The moment that perfectly fine ass was revealed, I sucked in a breath. Turning around, she stood before me in a goddamn yellow thong that had rubber fucking ducks on it. Dropping my head back, I let out a moan as I reached down and adjusted my betraying dick.


    Bringing my head forward, I stopped breathing when I came face to face with Sierra. She had her hands on the arms of my chair and was smiling a smile so amazing, I let out another moan.


    ¡°I hope you enjoyed the show, Dodge. It will be your only show. Unless you are willing to up the ante.¡±


    Opening my mouth, I tried to speak but couldn¡¯t. I was lost in her blue eyes.


    Moving away from her, I got myself under control. What in the hell am I doing, and in my father¡¯s conference room? ¡°Um . . . I um . . . I¡¯m sorry, Sierra. That was totally uncalled for and won¡¯t be happening again.¡±


    I needed to keep this business and I was doing a piss poor job of it. Hurt swam in Sierra¡¯s eyes, but it was for the best. I had let things go too far and now it was coming back on me.


    ¡°You owe me a hundred bucks,¡± Sierra said as she grabbed her purse and headed out the door as I silently cursed myself.


    The door shut quietly and I sat there alone . . . staring at the capitol building . . . cursing the day I ever met Sierra Jackson.


    WALKING INTO STARBUCKS, I TOOK in a deep breath and let the aroma of coffee invade my body. It had been almost five days since I¡¯d seen or talked to Dodge. I was now officially on vacation for the next two weeks.


    ¡°Hey, Sierra. You off today?¡± Jackie, the barista, asked as she began ringing up my normal order.


    ¡°I am and I think I¡¯m switching it around today.¡±


    Making a funny face as if she was completely surprised, Jackie laughed. ¡°Wow, okay throw it at me.¡±


    Smiling, I said, ¡°I¡¯ll take a chia tea Frappuccino double blended with soy and no whip.¡±


    Jackie placed her hand on her heart and said, ¡°No coffee! Are you ill?¡±


    Giggling, I shook my head. ¡°Nope, just trying to change things up a bit. I need spice in my life.¡±


    Jackie laughed and gestured to a guy sitting in the corner. He was wearing a UT baseball cap, a black T-shirt and running shorts. ¡°You want spice, sweetheart get to know the hot dude in the corner. He¡¯s been coming in every morning for the last four days and let me tell you, his eyes scream spicy!¡±


    Glancing over my shoulder, I smiled when I looked at the hotty sitting in the corner. Turning back to Jackie, I winked. ¡°He¡¯s a looker.¡±


    Jackie¡¯s face fell. ¡°He¡¯s a looker? That¡¯s all you got, Sierra?¡±


    Laughing, I said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯d do him, no questions asked. Better?¡±


    Jackie¡¯s eyes lit up as she looked over my shoulder and smiled the brightest smile I¡¯d ever seen.


    ¡°You¡¯d do who?¡±


    My body ignited the moment I heard Dodge¡¯s voice. He¡¯d left me horny and crazed out of my mind the last two times I¡¯d seen him. I was going to have to buy an extra BOB at this rate.


    Glancing over my shoulder, I moaned as I rolled my eyes. ¡°Why are you here, sport?¡±


    Smiling and giving me a wink, Dodge said, ¡°I wanted coffee.¡±


    Placing my hand on my hip, I glared at him. ¡°This Starbucks is nowhere near your house or work. Why do you come here?¡±


    ¡°I like the scenery. I¡¯ve had some pretty amazing things happen to me at this Starbucks,¡± Dodge said before turning and placing his order with Jackie. I stood there with my mouth hanging open.


    Getting a hold of myself, I smirked as I said, ¡°So in other words, since you¡¯re not at the bar anymore, you pick up your fuck buddies here?¡±

 Page 19

    My chi tea was called out just in time as Dodge turned and glared at me.


    Spinning on my heels, I walked up and grabbed my drink and sauntered on over toward the hot guy in the corner. Sitting down, he glanced up and smiled. Trying to appear sexy in my Victoria¡¯s Secret boyfriend pants and black Sam Hunt T-shirt, I smiled back.


    Peeking up at the counter, I noticed Dodge was still talking to Jackie. Probably trying to pick her up. Asshole. Rolling my eyes, I let out a sigh and took a sip of my drink as I eye fucked the hell out of the hot guy. Tilting his head, he gave me a wink, stood up and walked over to me. Before he had a chance to sit down, Dodge walked up and kissed me on the cheek.


    ¡°Baby, you have no idea how much I missed you in my bed last night,¡± Dodge purred as he moved his lips down to my neck and licked it. Licked it! He fucking licked my neck.


    Hot guy froze, as did I. What in the hell?


    Raising his eyebrows, hot guy changed direction and headed right on out of Starbucks. I wanted to jump up and start shouting out for him to come back. Glancing up to Dodge, I shot him daggers.


    ¡°Do you have any idea how much I loathe you right now?¡±


    Laughing, he pulled out a chair and sat down.


    Dropping my mouth open, I said, ¡°I don¡¯t remember inviting you to sit down, but now that you chased off the only hot guy in the room . . . please, have a seat.¡±


    Dodge chuckled and placed his hand over his heart as if mortally wounded. ¡°Ouch.¡±


    ¡°What do you want anyway?¡± I asked as I took a sip of my tea.


    Leaning back in his chair, Dodge rested his right foot on his left knee, and the way he stared at me caused my body to shudder. I prayed like hell he hadn¡¯t noticed.


    ¡°You mentioned you were off; I figured you still came here for your morning coffee, so I took a chance.¡±


    Pressing my lips in a fine line, I shook my head. ¡°You took a chance? Did you need to talk to me about my divorce?¡±


    Dodge¡¯s smile lit up the room. God how I loved that damn smile of his. Ugh. Why did he have to be so damn good looking? And that stupid scruff on his face. I wondered what it would feel like against my skin? I bet he could take a girl to heaven and back with just the touch of that scruff against . . .


    ¡°Sierra? Are you even listening to me?¡±


    Shaking my head to clear my dirty thoughts, I smiled. ¡°No. Sorry. I was thinking about the hot guy who just left.¡±


    Dodge dropped his right leg and leaned forward. ¡°Needing to get laid, huh?¡±


    Placing my drink to my lips, I took a sip and let out a soft low moan. ¡°Mmm . . . so damn good. What were you asking me, dickhead?¡±


    Dodge laughed and it rolled through my body and warmed me instantly. Ugh. He needed to leave. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes, you need to get laid.¡±


    ¡°You wanting the job, Dodge? After all, I heard you were good at making people forget things.¡±


    Dodge¡¯s smile faded and he sat back like he remembered I had witnessed his interlude with Ryn. Maybe I do have an effect on Mr. Walker after all. ¡°W-what?¡± Dodge stuttered.


    ¡°Me getting laid, are you up for it?¡± I said with a purr.


    Dodge swallowed hard as he searched for his voice. Was that sweat forming on his brow? Hiding my smile, I raised my eyebrow and waited for my answer.


    ¡°I¡¯m your lawyer, Sierra. We need to . . . um . . . stay focused.¡±


    Oh. So that¡¯s how he wants to play this. ¡°Focused, huh? Got it.¡± Standing, I gave Dodge a smile. ¡°Well, since we don¡¯t have any business to talk about, I think I¡¯m going to go search for another hot guy. According to my lawyer, I need to get laid. Have a good day, Dodge.¡±


    Feeling his eyes burning into my back, I held my giggle in until I walked out of Starbucks. Making my way down the street, I headed back to my house when I heard Jackie calling out my name.


    ¡°Sierra! Wait!¡±


    Stopping, I turned and waited for her. ¡°Did I forget something?¡±


    Smiling, she shook her head. ¡°Oh, no! You didn¡¯t forget anything, but I wanted to ask you if you¡¯d like to go out tonight with me and a few friends of mine. It¡¯s girls¡¯ night.¡±


    Girls¡¯ night? I hadn¡¯t had a night out with the girls since Ryn moved. ¡°Okay! Sounds like fun. Where and what time should I be there?¡±


    Jackie smiled and did a little jump. ¡°Eight, and we¡¯re all meeting at 219 West.¡±


    Grinning, I said, ¡°I¡¯ll be there.¡±


    Jacking clapped. ¡°Be ready to spice things up!¡±


    Tossing my head back with a laugh, I gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°Yes! Totally spicing it up on all fronts.¡±

 Page 20

    Glancing over Jackie¡¯s shoulder, I watched as Dodge walked out of Starbucks and headed to his truck. In a way, my heart was broken just a little that he didn¡¯t come after me.


    Men.


    They all suck!


    My nose was buried in my Kindle app on my cell phone as I walked up the steps to my house. I stopped and finished up the last few sentences to get to the end of the chapter.


    ¡°Whatcha reading?¡±


    Jumping, I screamed and my cell phone went flying. Placing my hand over my chest, I dragged in deep breath after deep breath as I tried to calm my beating heart.


    ¡°What in the hell is wrong with you? Ohmygod! You asshole. My heart is pounding.¡±


    Dodge stood there leaning against my front door, looking all hot.


    Bastard.


    ¡°You left before I could talk to you.¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I headed back down the stairs to get my phone. ¡°Well, I assumed you had nothing of importance to talk about. Now, if you have something to say about my divorce, or the possibility of some stranger breaking into my house, I¡¯m all ears. Otherwise, leave.¡±


    Reaching down, I picked up my phone and let out a gasp. ¡°No! No, I just got this iPhone!¡±


    My phone had landed face down on a rock and the whole screen was cracked. Turning, I pointed to Dodge as I gave him my best death stare. ¡°This is your fault!¡±


    Frowning, he pushed off the door. ¡°My fault? How in the hell is this my fault?¡±


    ¡°You scared me, dickhead. That¡¯s how this is your fault.¡±


    Shaking his head, Dodge glared at me. ¡°You do know if you call me that in court, you¡¯re sure to lose the case.¡±


    ¡°Ugh! Oh my gosh! Why are men so . . . so . . . just . . . ugh . . . my god, you¡¯re all just . . . just . . .¡±


    Dodge lifted his eyebrows and leaned in closer like that would make me find the words that were lost.


    Letting out a frustrated sigh, I turned and headed to my car. Unlocking it, I got in as Dodge shouted, ¡°Where are you going now?¡±


    Holding up my phone, I yelled, ¡°To fix my phone!¡±


    Placing the keys in the car, I turned and nothing happened. No, please don¡¯t do this to me. You¡¯re a brand new car for Christ¡¯s sake!


    Dodge tapped the driver¡¯s side window as I dropped my head back against the headrest. ¡°Go away! You¡¯re like the reverse of a good luck charm!¡±


    Opening the door, Dodge leaned in and got so close to my face, I had to fight like hell not to grab him and kiss him.


    He smelled so good. I had to find out what cologne he wore and then spray the hell out of my sheets with it.


    I did not just think that.


    ¡°Damn, isn¡¯t this car fairly new?¡± Dodge asked as I smelled the mint from the gum he was chewing.


    Fuck. My. Life.


    ¡°Yes, Dodge. It¡¯s about six months old. Maybe more, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°How do you not know? What month did you buy it in?¡±


    Snapping my eyes open, I glared at him. ¡°Fuck if I know right now, Dodge. I can¡¯t think straight! My phone is broke! My kind of newish car is broke! You¡¯re invading my personal space, I need so desperately to get laid and you¡¯re not helping any, and I . . . I . . .¡±


    I am such an idiot. I did not just say that out loud. Did I?


    Reaching for my hand, Dodge pulled me out of my car, forcing me to slam into his body.


    Breathe, Sierra. Deep breaths . . . in through the nose . . . out through the mouth. Focus. Focus on anything other than the muscular body you¡¯re pressed up against right now. Or the fact that you¡¯re slowing getting lost in the most beautiful blue eyes ever.


    Dodge slipped his hand behind my neck as my heart dropped to my stomach. His eyes fell to my lips, causing me to lick them. The moment he whispered, ¡°Fuck,¡± I wanted to cry out yes! A million butterflies took off in my stomach at the mere idea that Dodge was going to kiss me.


    Moving in closer, Dodge brushed his lips across mine and I grabbed onto his arms to steady myself.


    ¡°We have to stay focused, Sierra.¡±


    Letting out a whimper that made me sound like a desperate whore, I whispered back, ¡°Focused. I am totally focused, Dodge.¡±


    Just like that, Dodge let go of me and took a few steps back. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to get your phone fixed.¡±


    My head was spinning out of control as my heart broke a little bit more. I wasn¡¯t sure how many more times I would be able to handle Dodge rejecting me. Fighting to hold back the threat of tears, I turned away and headed to my front door. ¡°I¡¯ll get it fixed later, along with the car.¡±


    Dodge grabbed my arm. ¡°Sierra, please wait.¡±

 Page 21

    Shaking my head, I didn¡¯t dare look at him.


    I was sexually frustrated.


    I was starting to fall for a man who clearly didn¡¯t feel the same about me.


    And I was scared shitless that my husband was watching my every move.


    ¡°Not now, Dodge.¡±


    Unlocking the door to my house, I walked in, shut the door and turned off the alarm. Leaning against the door, I slowly slid down and sat on the floor as I cried.


    ¡°Fuck. My. Life,¡± I said as I sobbed into my hands.


    WALKING INTO MY HOUSE, I slammed the door shut. ¡°Damn it all to hell,¡± I said as I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator. Why the hell did I lose control? I¡¯m always losing control around Sierra. The attraction toward her was starting to cause me to not be focused on the things I needed to be focused on right now.


    Pulling her file closer to me, I sat down at the kitchen island and looked over my notes from yesterday¡¯s meeting.


    Looking at my notes, I read Sierra¡¯s statement of finding the rose. None of this made sense. The guy wasn¡¯t that stupid to jeopardize his case by breaking into Sierra¡¯s house. While she was home.


    Letting out a frustrated breath, I pulled out the envelope of photos that the previous lawyer had. Sierra had hired a private investigator to follow Robert around for a couple of weeks. Most of the pictures were of him coming and going from his office and home. There were a number of them with one particular blonde. ¡°This must be Lisa,¡± I said to myself.


    Staring at the girl, I couldn¡¯t help but notice how she looked at Robert. Almost as if she . . . couldn¡¯t stand him.


    Interesting.


    Digging through the pile of papers, I found the one with Lisa¡¯s information on it.


    ¡°Lisa Blank. What a name,¡± I said as I rolled my eyes. Pulling out my cell phone, I dialed her number.


    ¡°Talk to me!¡± a spunky voice said.


    ¡°Hey, Lisa. Baby, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Um . . . who is this?¡±


    Shit. I hadn¡¯t thought this through very well.


    ¡°Mike, you know, we met a couple months back.¡±


    Silence.


    ¡°Hello?¡± I asked as I waited for her to hang up.


    ¡°Oh my gosh, Mike from 219 West? The bartender?¡±


    What are the damn odds of that happening? My old life of being a manager of Red 7 looked like it was about to pay off.


    ¡°That¡¯s me, baby.¡±


    ¡°You working tonight?¡± Lisa asked.


    Jesus, is this really happening? ¡°Baby I get off at eight and I¡¯m in the mood for some dancing. Meet me at the bar.¡±


    Letting out a little giggle, Lisa said, ¡°I have to come up with an excuse, but I¡¯ll be there.¡±


    I was about to push my luck, but I went for it. ¡°I¡¯m horny as hell, baby, so dress sexy.¡±


    ¡°Damn, tell me what you look like again?¡±


    Fist pumping, I did little jump in the air like Sierra does when she gets excited. This was too good to be true. ¡°Baby, I¡¯m hurt. Blond hair, five o¡¯clock shadow, and I¡¯ll be behind the bar serving up drinks.¡±


    ¡°Right! See you there, Mike.¡±


    The line went dead as I pulled the phone away and stared at it.


    ¡°What the fuck did I just do?¡± Now I had to come up with some sort of plan to get her to talk. I needed to find out just how much Lisa Blank knew and if she was the one who had broken into Sierra¡¯s house.


    Blowing out a deep breath, I pulled up Joel¡¯s number and hit it. ¡°Here¡¯s hoping this works.¡±


    Making sure I got to 219 West with plenty of time to spare, I walked up to the bar and asked for Joel. ¡°Is he expecting you?¡±


    Nodding my head, she pointed to his office. Heading on back, I looked around. I missed my old job. I loved managing Red 7, but at the same time, I was strangely happy at my father¡¯s law firm.


    Knocking on the door, I waited for Joel to tell me to come in.


    ¡°Enter the cave if you dare!¡± Joel shouted. Opening the door, I chuckled when I saw Joel sitting there with his feet kicked up and talking on the phone. Joel had been a bartender at Red 7 almost the entire time I was there. I had moved him up to manager and before I knew it . . . West snatched him from me.


    Joel motioned for me to sit as he dropped his feet from the desk. Looking around his office, I couldn¡¯t help but notice how far he had come in the short amount of time he had been here.


    ¡°Listen, I¡¯ve got a meeting so can we discuss this tomorrow? Perfect, I¡¯ll expect your call then.¡±


    Hanging up the phone, he reached out for my hand and started laughing. ¡°So not only are you a lawyer, but you¡¯re a PI too?¡±

 Page 22

    Chuckling, I shook my head. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m just following up on a gut feeling. I need to try and get this girl to talk. It just happens this girl thinks she met me here, and I¡¯m a bartender.¡±


    We both sat down as Joel ran his hand through his blond hair. ¡°Huh. You gave her Mike¡¯s name?¡± Joel asked.


    Nodding my head, I said, ¡°Yep.¡±


    Sucking in a deep breath, Joel said, ¡°Mike doesn¡¯t work here anymore, but if you want, I¡¯ve always wanted to be an actor.¡±


    Smiling, I said, ¡°Damn, Joel. Thanks so much. You don¡¯t know what this means to me. I can¡¯t do it, just in case I ever see her in court, and I want to take this asshole down.¡±


    Staring at me, Joel said, ¡°I see it in your eyes dude. You¡¯re on a mission.¡±


    Standing up, I agreed. ¡°That I am. It¡¯s almost eight; you care if we head down to your bar and have a little fun?¡± Placing the baseball cap on my head, I smiled.


    Motioning with his hands for me to lead the way, Joel said, ¡°Have at it, dude.¡±


    Five minutes later, I was making sex on the beach, cosmos, martinis, and serving up bottles of beer left and right while Joel did the same. Damn, I missed this. Beyonce was blaring and I was flying high from the beat.


    Looking up, I saw her. Smiling the smile I only reserve when I¡¯m working hard for a piece of ass, I gave Lisa a wink. She practically melted on the spot. ¡°Are you Mike?¡±


    Letting out a laugh, I smiled bigger. ¡°Give me two seconds and I¡¯ll get him for you.¡±


    Lisa ran her tongue along her upper lip and I wanted to gag.


    Whore.


    Finishing up a few drink orders, I walked over to Joel and pulled him over.


    ¡°This is it.¡± Pushing the device on, I gave Joel a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be able to hear everything y¡¯all say.¡±


    Joel grinned from ear to ear. ¡°Fucking badass, dude.¡±


    Heading around the bar and up to Lisa, Joel said, ¡°Hey, baby, you want to dance?¡±


    Lisa chuckled. ¡°Really? Cause I was thinking there¡¯s a hotel right down the road.¡±


    Joel let out a heavy laugh and leaned closer to Lisa, ¡°You didn¡¯t like our little fuck fest in the cooler?¡± Nice Joel. Nice.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± she whispered. ¡°I¡¯m not drinking at all tonight.¡±


    Pulling her out onto the dance floor, Joel began grinding up against her. Bastard always knew how to get to the ladies. It wasn¡¯t going to take anything to get information out of her. Three songs later and she was singing.


    Joel talked much louder than he needed to as he began pumping Lisa for information. ¡°So, baby, why didn¡¯t you ever call? You were one hell of a fuck.¡±


    Lisa moaned as I glanced over to them while still attempting to listen to people yelling out drinks. Walking over to Chasity, I told her I was taking a quick break and headed around the corner where I could keep an eye on Joel and Lisa.


    Lisa had her arms wrapped around Joel. ¡°I¡¯m kind of seeing someone.¡±


    ¡°Kind of?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story, but I¡¯m fucking my boss. He¡¯s going through a divorce right now; actually his wife was my best friend.¡±


    What a bitch. She has no regards for Sierra¡¯s feelings at all.


    Joel let out a fake-ass chuckle. Actor my ass. ¡°You can¡¯t be in love with him with the way you were all over me . . . and the fact you¡¯re here now.¡±


    From where I was standing, I had a clear view of them. Lisa shrugged her shoulders. ¡°It started off as me getting back at Sierra.¡±


    ¡°Sierra?¡±


    Nodding, Lisa said, ¡°His wife, my best friend. She has always had everything, ya know? The perfect body, perfect eyes and hair. Perfect boyfriend who turned out to be a doctor and makes a shit ton of money. Right down to the damn perfect house with the white fence and dog.¡±


    ¡°So you wanted her perfect life?¡± Joel asked.


    It appeared Lisa smiled, but someone had stepped in between my view of them. Joel moved a bit and I had my clear view again. ¡°Yep. And I got it. It didn¡¯t take much to seduce Robert. He likes . . . dirty. Sierra can¡¯t do dirty like I can.¡±


    Anger began building up as I balled my fists together. Sierra doesn¡¯t do house-wrecking whore, is what you mean you two-faced bitch?


    ¡°You stay for the money then?¡± Joel asked as he pulled Lisa in closer.


    Moving her hands through Joel¡¯s hair, she dropped her head back and moaned. The song changed and ¡°Motivation¡± by Kelly Rowland began playing.


    ¡°Do I stay for the money? Of course I do. He keeps promising me diamond rings and fancy cars. I can have my cake and eat it too.¡± Lisa reached down and began running her hand over Joel¡¯s dick.

 Page 23

    Jesus, who spills their guts like this to a complete stranger?


    Pulling her hand away from his junk, Joel spun Lisa around as he gave me the finger.


    I needed to end this now before Lisa wanted to go fuck poor Joel in the cooler. Lifting my phone, Joel nodded.


    ¡°Damn it. My boss just texted me. My replacement called in. I¡¯m gonna have to end our night.¡±


    Lisa spun around, ¡°Are you sure? No time for a quickie?¡±


    Joel let out a sigh. ¡°Baby, I¡¯d love to hook up, but I¡¯m not the kind of guy who likes to play sloppy seconds to another man.¡±


    Lisa laughed and then became silent. ¡°Come on. Seriously?¡±


    Joel shrugged. ¡°He¡¯ll be divorced soon and you¡¯ll be jetted all over the world.¡±


    Lisa shook her head. ¡°No! I won¡¯t. He wants to drag this out. I think he still has feelings for Sierra and I¡¯ve been begging him to just let it go so we can move on and get married. He claims he¡¯s waiting for more money.¡±


    And there it was. Fuck. If Lisa was asking Robert to move on, why would she break into Sierra¡¯s house? I seriously didn¡¯t think it was her.


    Joel began walking toward the bar, ¡°Damn, hope it works. Got to run, baby. Later!¡±


    Turning, I walked as fast as I could back to the bar. Chasity laughed and yelled, ¡°Couldn¡¯t stay away, Dodge?¡± Nodding my head, I gave her a wink.


    Motioning to the end of the bar, she yelled out, ¡°Take that group of young ladies orders, please. I¡¯m swamped! You being here has been a blessing in disguise!¡±


    ¡°My pleasure,¡± I said as I walked to the other end of the bar and smiled at Joel.


    Shaking his head, Joel shuddered. ¡°Jesus Christ, I feel like I need to go take a damn shower. What a fucking cunt.¡±


    Laughing, I patted him on the back as he reached into his shirt pocket and got the device out and handed it to me. ¡°Stupid bitch didn¡¯t even notice I don¡¯t have a damn southern accent like you do. All she wanted was a quick fuck.¡±


    ¡°Dude, I owe you big time,¡± I said with a smile.


    ¡°My night shift bartender called in, pay me back now. The way I figure it, you owe me at least an hour.¡±


    Smiling, I nodded my head and headed to the group of girls at the end of the bar. ¡°What can I get you ladies?¡±


    My mouth dropped open when Sierra turned around. Holy fucking shit, what is she doing here?


    ¡°Sierra?¡±


    Sierra¡¯s eyes about popped out of her head as she looked at me. ¡°Dodge? What in the hell are you doing? Do you work here?¡±


    ¡°Um . . .¡± I quickly scanned the place and saw Lisa walking out the door of the club.


    Taking advantage of the DJ taking a break, I attempted to fill Sierra in quickly. ¡°I was playing private detective. I took a chance on Lisa and gave her a call. Trying to rule her out as the one who broke into your house. It turns out she hooked up with a bartender from here awhile back.¡±


    Sierra narrowed her eye at me and said, ¡°Go on.¡±


    Shrugging my shoulders, I said, ¡°I took advantage of that piece of information and set up a little covert operation with Joel.¡±


    Sierra stood a little taller. ¡°What did you find out?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t think it was her who broke into your house. I do however think she is whore who will screw anything that has money and a dick.¡±


    Sierra smiled that sweet smile that made my heart skip a beat. ¡°We certainly agree on that.¡±


    As the DJ started back up, the girl from Starbucks pushed Sierra out of the way. ¡°I¡¯ll take a cosmo!¡± Five girls all called out, ¡°Me too.¡±


    Laughing, I looked at Sierra, ¡°Should I make it seven cosmos?¡±


    Shaking her head, Sierra said, ¡°Hell no. I want a lemon drop.¡±


    Tapping the bar, I winked and said, ¡°Coming up.¡±


    I handed the girls their cosmos and smiled when I lit Sierra¡¯s lemon drop. It ignited and Sierra let out a squeal.


    ¡°How did you do that, Dodge?¡±


    Winking, I said, ¡°151 rum floating on top.¡±


    Sierra¡¯s eyes matched the flame on her drink.


    ¡°Show off,¡± she said as she started laughing. ¡°So be honest, you were missing your days behind the bar, right?¡±


    ¡°Sierra, come on! There are way too many dicks in the club to be talking to the bartender!¡±


    Placing my hands over my heart, I said, ¡°I¡¯m wounded.¡±


    The Starbucks girl pointed to me and smiled as she shouted, ¡°Hey! You¡¯re a bartender too?¡±


    Smiling, I nodded my head. Turning to Sierra, Starbucks girl said, ¡°Come dance with us, Sierra!¡± Clearly she wasn¡¯t impressed with my bartending skills.

 Page 24

    Sierra chuckled and looked at Starbucks girl, ¡°I¡¯m okay here. Y¡¯all go on and have fun.¡±


    The girl looked between Sierra and me as she shrugged her shoulders and followed her friends.


    ¡°Give me two seconds, I¡¯ll be right back,¡± I said to Sierra as I turned around and started taking another order. In between orders, I would talk to Sierra. I couldn¡¯t help but notice how tired she looked. I wanted more than anything to help ease her mind about who broke into her house.


    ¡°Have you thought about staying at a hotel?¡± I asked as I stood there and made another fucking cosmo. Why the hell do all women drink that damn drink?


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving my house, Dodge. I¡¯m comfortable there and I¡¯m not going to let whoever left that rose think they¡¯ve won. They will not steal that away from me. Besides, I have the alarm and highly doubt it will happen again.¡±


    ¡°Sierra, what if¡ª¡±


    Holding up her hand, Sierra shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving my house, Dodge.¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I looked away, only to catch the eye of a girl leaning over the bar. ¡°Hey handsome, how about a cosmo?¡±


    ¡°Fucking hell,¡± I whispered as Sierra laughed. Her laughter moved through my body and I fought like hell to push it away.


    Finally my hour was up and I made my way around the bar and headed over toward Sierra. Some dickhead had been talking to her for the last fifteen minutes. Bastard kept running the back of his hand down her arm. I was seconds from pounding his face into the bar.


    Stopping behind Sierra, I smiled when ¡°Worth It¡± by Fifth Harmony began playing. Leaning in, I spoke next to her ear.


    ¡°Dance with me, short stack.¡±


    Looking at me over her shoulder, Sierra frowned. Turning around, she began talking to the dickhead again. The attraction between Sierra and I had always been evident. We both fought it and I knew I had to be careful. Her divorce had to be my number one priority. Not the fact that I wanted to sink my dick deep inside her.


    Placing my hand on her lower back, I saw goose bumps pop up on her beautiful smooth skin. Smiling, I leaned in again.


    ¡°Dance with me, baby.¡±


    Sierra turned on the bar stool and held her hand out to me as she wore the sexiest fucking smile I¡¯d ever seen. Looking at the dickhead, she said, ¡°Excuse me, my boyfriend wants to dance.¡±


    The guys face fell as I gave him a look and pulled Sierra to the dance floor.


    The moment we hit the dance floor, Sierra started moving her hips in ways that had my body aching to be buried deep inside her. Turning back to me, she scrunched up her nose in that adorable way she does as she placed her hands on my shoulders and I put my hands on her hips. We moved perfectly together. How in the fuck her husband didn¡¯t realize what he had was beyond me. She was for sure worth it all.


    Turning around, Sierra backed her ass up into me and started grinding against me. I knew she could feel my hard dick. Turning around she had her fucking finger in her mouth. The more she moved her body, the harder I fought to keep from dragging her to the back and fucking her hard and fast.


    Placing her hands on my chest, she dropped her head back and I watched as her tits barley stayed in the dress she had on. Looking around, I saw about six guys eye fucking the hell out of her. Pulling her to me, Sierra let out a gasp. The song ended and both our chests were heaving up and down.


    Cupping her face with my hands, I leaned in as she whispered, ¡°Dodge.¡±


    One kiss. That¡¯s all I needed was one kiss. ¡°Fuck,¡± I whispered as I slammed my lips to hers. I wasn¡¯t sure how long we stood there and kissed like we were crazed animals. My hands moved over her body and up to her hair. I loved when she wore her beautiful blonde hair down. Grabbing a handful, I pulled her head back and kissed along her chin and down to her neck. Sierra moaned as I moved my tongue along her neck.


    Rihanna¡¯s ¡°Skin¡± was playing and I had never been so fucking turned on in my life. The words of the song mixed with my desire to have Sierra had me fighting with every ounce of energy I had to keep from taking her to my truck and fucking the hell out of her.


    ¡°Sierra, I want you so fucking bad,¡± I whispered against her ear.


    ¡°Dodge, please just take me. Please.¡±


    My head was losing this battle against my heart. Closing my eyes, I grabbed her ass and pulled her to me. ¡°Baby, you¡¯re making this hard for me to think clear.¡±


    Sierra moved her hand down my chest and began rubbing my dick. Jesus, I was going to come in my damn pants.


    Suddenly, her heat was gone. Opening my eyes, I looked at Sierra. She was standing there with a panicked look on her face. Taking a step closer, I said, ¡°Sierra, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

 Page 25

    Swallowing hard, I noticed she was looking behind me. Turning to look over my shoulder, I saw him. ¡°Robert.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god, Dodge. What if he saw us?¡± Sierra said with panic laced in her voice. Grabbing her, I headed to Joel¡¯s office.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°How do you know? We don¡¯t know how long he has been here for! How did he know I was here? He has to have someone following me!¡±


    Sierra was beginning to panic. ¡°Calm down. Where is your purse?¡±


    Shaking her head, Sierra said, ¡°I didn¡¯t bring one. I have this.¡±


    Sierra pulled out a little pouch from the inside of her bra. ¡°It¡¯s got money and my license in it.¡±


    ¡°Good, we¡¯re leaving.¡±


    Practically pulling Sierra¡¯s arm out of her socket, I opened the back door to the club and stepped out into the ally. Sierra began dragging in one deep breath after another.


    Trying to appear like I was calm, I was internally praying to God that Robert did not see me practically fucking my client on the dance floor while at the same time, I was pissed I had let my feelings for Sierra come out like I did. Pushing my hand through my hair, I shook my head. Fuck, I needed to get a better hold of my desire for Sierra.


    ¡°Do you think he saw us?¡± Sierra asked.


    ¡°No,¡± I said a little too harshly. ¡°Fuck, I can¡¯t believe I fucking did that with a client!¡± I shouted out.


    Sierra¡¯s face dropped. The moment the words were out of my mouth I regretted them. Sierra was so much more than a client. ¡°Glad to know where I stand in the grand scheme of things, Aaron. Maybe you¡¯d prefer Mr. Walker?¡± Sierra shook her head and let out a gruff laugh. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I let myself think you would have some sort of feelings for me. You¡¯re nothing but an asshole.¡±


    Sierra began walking off. Reaching for her arm, I pulled her back to me. ¡°Where in the fuck do you think you¡¯re going?¡±


    ¡°Home, asshole,¡± Sierra said as she pushed my hand away.


    Walking after her, I said, ¡°No. You¡¯re not going home, Sierra.¡±


    Letting out a laugh, Sierra looked over her shoulder at me. ¡°The fuck I¡¯m not. Stay away from me, Dodge.¡± Stopping, she turned around and began jamming her finger into my chest.


    ¡°Better yet. Go on back and find some whore to hook up with. You had yourself pretty worked up back there. Lord knows you don¡¯t want to fuck your client. Maybe if I was someone like Ryn who needed a fuck-buddy you might be up for the job?¡±


    ¡°Sierra, stop.¡±


    Her eyes filled with hurt as she slowly shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t do this. It¡¯s one rejection after another from you. You work me up, Dodge, only to push me away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± I said as Sierra held up her hand.


    ¡°It is. You just said it. I¡¯m your client.¡±


    Pushing my hands through my hair, I said, ¡°You are my fucking client!¡±


    Slowly nodding her head, Sierra said, ¡°Right. How could I be so foolish and forget what this really is. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll never make that mistake again.¡±


    Turning on her heels, she quickly began walking away. Stepping out into the street, she whistled and a taxi stopped right away. Glancing back to me, she looked forlorn as she got into the taxi as I just stood there like an idiot.


    WIPING THE SWEAT FROM MY face, I continued to run as fast and as hard as I could. I loved running down at Town Lake. Something about being outside with all the people and the river was refreshing.


    Stopping, I placed my hands on my thighs and dragged in one breath after another. My phone began ringing and I pulled it out to see it was Kacey. We had been friends since college. She recently moved back to Austin with her fianc¨¦ and we had connected back up.


    ¡°H-hello,¡± I panted.


    ¡°Please tell me you¡¯re having hot sex. One of us has to be having hot sex.¡±


    Laughing, I made my way over to a bench and flopped down. ¡°Nope! Sorry.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, Kacey asked, ¡°Then what in the hell are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Running.¡±


    ¡°Ahh . . . guy trouble.¡±


    Making a face, I pulled my head back and laughed. ¡°What? Because I¡¯m running you automatically think I¡¯m having guy trouble?¡±


    ¡°Yep. That was what you did in college. Anytime you had a bad date, or you got stood up, or you fought with Robert . . . you ran.¡±


    Shaking my head, I said, ¡°I never got stood up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah you did. Remember the guy who was on the UT football team? Blake something or other. He stood you up.¡±

 Page 26

    Letting out a very dramatic sigh, I said, ¡°I hate you and your damn memory.¡±


    Kacey laughed. ¡°So, have you been on any dates?¡±


    My mind drifted back to two nights ago when Dodge¡¯s lips were pressed to mine. ¡°Ugh. No. I¡¯m giving up on all men.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, Sierra. You don¡¯t mean that.¡±


    Laughing, I watched as a mom ran by pushing her little girl in a jogger stroller. My heart sunk. Looking away, I fought to hold back the ache in my chest. ¡°I do. I feel like maybe I should just go out with Tom.¡±


    ¡°Tom?¡±


    Letting out a sigh, I said, ¡°Yeah. He works at Nordstrom¡¯s, in the shoe department. At least I¡¯d get discounts off my shoes.¡±


    Kacey was silent.


    ¡°Kacey, are you still there?¡±


    ¡°Um . . . yeah . . . I¡¯m just trying to figure out how your mind works. One minute you say you¡¯re giving up on men and the next you¡¯re talking about some guy named Tom and getting discounts at Nordstrom¡¯s.¡±


    Smiling, I went to say something but was blinded by the perfect set of abs running my way. ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, Dodge, my lawyer slash friend slash lawyer, is running right toward me. Ugh, had I known he ran down here at Town Lake I¡¯d never have come down here.¡±


    ¡°You said lawyer twice.¡±


    ¡°Only because the dickhead keeps stressing it. He¡¯s the last person I wanted to see today.¡±


    ¡°Oh stop it. Hey, I¡¯ve got to run, but let¡¯s do lunch tomorrow or something. You need a puppy, Sierra! That would make you happy.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck? I had a dog and he turned on me too!¡±


    Laughing, Kacey made kissing sounds into the phone. ¡°Bye, babe! Think about the puppy! I only have one left.¡±


    ¡°Yep, later, love.¡±


    Hitting End, my mouth dropped open while I watched Dodge leaning over and getting a drink from one of the fountains along the trail. I watched as a trail of water rolled down his chin.


    Damn, how I¡¯d like to be that water. Or his sweat. Or his sheets, his towels, his boxers. I pictured Dodge as the type of guy who wore boxers.


    Rolling his neck, Dodge began walking.


    Right. Toward. Me.


    Get up, Sierra. Run in the opposite direction. Look away at least, you stupid shit!


    Looking down at nothing, I prayed hard Dodge would just walk by without noticing me.


    ¡°Sierra?¡±


    Shit. I should have known the asshole would check out a girl sitting on the bench.


    Lifting my head, I tried like hell to seem normal. I hated myself for the way I acted after our kiss. The way I begged him to make me his. Yuck. I could punch myself.


    ¡°Hey, Dodge.¡±


    Smiling, he stopped right in front of me. Forcing me to look up at him. If I looked straight, I¡¯d be looking right at his junk. Junk hidden behind a pair of boxers. Or maybe he wore tighty whities? My stomach flipped at my next thought.


    What if he went commando? Licking my lips, I glanced down and looked right at the bulge in his pants.


    ¡°Um . . . so I wanted to apologize for the other night.¡±


    Oh no, he is not. Like I wasn¡¯t humiliated enough already. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Dodge. Can we please just forget about it and move on?¡±


    Dodge gave me a weak smile as his phone began ringing. Glancing at it, he said, ¡°I have to take this.¡±


    Taking a couple of steps away, I strained to hear his call. ¡°Hey, nope you¡¯re not bothering me at all!¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are still on for dinner tonight.¡±


    My heart dropped.


    What did he say? He was on for dinner tonight? Standing up, I acted like I was stretching as I moved closer to him.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m positive I don¡¯t have any other plans. There is no one else I¡¯d rather spend my birthday with than you.¡±


    And there it went. My heart officially was shattered. I hate all men. Every single one of them. Turning away from Dodge, I started running again as fast as I could. When my right calf started cramping, I began cursing. ¡°Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!¡±


    Glancing over my shoulder, I didn¡¯t see Dodge. I wasn¡¯t surprised. He wasn¡¯t the type of guy to chase after a girl, especially one he didn¡¯t like. By the time I made it back to my car, I had moved on from brokenhearted to pissed off.


    Dropping my head back onto my headrest, I let out frustrated moan. ¡°I¡¯m never going to have sex again with a real penis!¡±


    Snapping my head forward, I got an idea thanks to Kacey. Smiling, I started my car and knew exactly where I was going.

 Page 27

    Walking to my car with a smile plastered on face, I glanced at the time. Dodge should be receiving his birthday present any second now. My walk almost turned into a skip as I thought about what his face would look like when he opened the door. I¡¯d pay big bucks to see it. Damn. I should have told Kacey to record it! Damn it.


    Pulling my phone out of my purse, I sent Kacey a text message.


    Me: Did you deliver his gift?


    Kacey: I¡¯m about to. You¡¯re going to hell. You do know that right?


    Giggling, I hugged myself and actually started skipping to my car.


    Me: Hey, I paid top dollar for that bitch.


    Kacey: You¡¯re heart is pure evil. How are you a nurse?


    Me: That¡¯s why I work with babies and women who like to scream at their husbands. It fulfills me in more ways than I care to say.


    Starting my car, I headed to the restaurant. Rolling the windows down, I began singing along to Gloriana¡¯s ¡°Trouble¡± as the wind wiped my blonde ponytail around. My phone beeped and my car read my text from Kacey.


    Kacey : It¡¯s done.


    Throwing my head back, I laughed my ass off and began counting.


    It took less than two minutes before my phone was ringing.


    Rolling the windows up and turning down my jam, I answered with a chipper voice.


    ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°What the fuck, Sierra!¡±


    Holding my laugh in, I said, ¡°Hey there, Dodge. How¡¯s your birthday going? Getting ready for your hot date tonight?¡±


    ¡°What? Never mind all of that. A puppy? Why the fuck did some girl named Kacey just drop off a puppy?¡±


    Covering my mouth with my hand, I held in my laughter. ¡°You don¡¯t like her, Dodge? Who doesn¡¯t like puppies?¡±


    I heard something slam and Dodge began cursing words I¡¯d never heard before.


    ¡°Me! Single guys who work eighty-hour weeks! Guys who are never home and live in a house that just got all new wood floors!¡±


    Covering my mouth again, I started laughing.


    ¡°I mean she¡¯s cute and all . . . Sierra, what were you thinking? No wait, I take that back. You weren¡¯t thinking at all, like you always do.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I said as I pulled my car into the parking lot and put it in park. ¡°I don¡¯t think? I. Don¡¯t. Think? I think all the time, dickhead. My mind is spinning because I think all the time. I¡¯m like the queen of thinking. I think everything through before I do it. Like for instance, the lingerie I just bought. I thought long and hard before deciding I needed it. Even though I have no one to wear it for . . . I bought it anyway. You never know when I might meet a hot guy at a bar and bring him home to my house for a good . . . hard . . . fucking.¡±


    Silence.


    Followed by more silence.


    Pressing my lips together, I fought to hold in my laughter.


    ¡°I hate you,¡± Dodge whispered as the line went dead. Dropping my head back, I laughed my ass off. Right about that time, my text message beeped. Reaching for my phone, I pulled up my messages. I had a picture from Kacey.


    Oh. My. God. I was going to buy her the best wedding present ever!


    Blowing up the picture, I studied Dodge¡¯s surprised face as he held up the twelve-week-old Golden Retriever puppy. Fist pumping, I jumped out of the car and did a victory dance.


    Damn. Sometimes I even surprised myself. Spinning on my heels, I smoothed out my dress, pulled my hair down from my ponytail and headed toward Sullivan¡¯s Steakhouse. Walking up to the hostess, I smiled.


    ¡°Good evening. How many I help you?¡± Just as I was about to say something, a hand was placed on my lower back. Smiling, I turned to see Elliot standing there. Oh my. He looked even more handsome out of his scrubs.


    ¡°Dr. Emmerson,¡± I purred.


    Winking, Elliot whispered against my ear, ¡°Cute, Sierra. Let¡¯s eat, I¡¯m starved.¡±


    Allowing Elliot to guide me into the restaurant, I smiled bigger knowing Dodge¡¯s plans were most likely ruined because he had to stay home and tend to a puppy while I spent the evening with Elliot. Probably the most handsome OB/GYN I¡¯d ever laid my eyes on. Elliot had been asking me out for the last four months. Running into him at the grocery today was pure luck. When he asked me out to dinner, I was all too happy to say yes.


    Operation: Move On From Dodge, had officially begun.


    OPENING THE DOOR, I STARED at her. ¡°What took you so long?¡±


    Em pushed past me carrying about ten bags from PetSmart. ¡°I had a long list of stuff to get for the sweet little baby.¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I slammed the door shut. ¡°You want her?¡±


    Em started laughing. ¡°Aaron, you know I can¡¯t have dogs in my dorm.¡±

 Page 28

    Flopping onto the sofa, I watched as Em dropped the bags onto the floor and sank to her knees as one very fluffy . . . and cute . . . puppy ran into her arms.


    Jeez. I hate Sierra so much right now.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry our dinner was ruined,¡± I said as I ran my hands up and down my face.


    Em looked at me with the most adorable face. ¡°It¡¯s okay, big brother. I forgive you. Mom and Dad got a kick out of you getting a puppy for your birthday by . . . who was it again who gave you the puppy?¡±


    Standing up, I let out a frustrated sigh. ¡°No one. She¡¯s nothing but a pain in my ass.¡±


    Em stared at me with a goofy smile. ¡°In other words, you like this girl.¡±


    My mouth dropped open as I stared at my sister. How do women do that? How do they pick up on this kind of shit?


    Turning, I headed into the kitchen. ¡°It¡¯s complicated, Em. Let¡¯s just drop it.¡±


    Laughing, Em jumped up and followed me into the kitchen. ¡°Oh my gosh. Aaron Matthew Walker. You have fallen for someone. Admit it!¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I picked up my home phone and began dialing the number to Home Slice. It was my sister¡¯s favorite pizza place.


    ¡°You¡¯re insane, Emily. Sierra is just a friend. She is a smart-mouthed pain in the ass. That¡¯s all.¡± Of course there was her smile that made my heart skip a beat. The fact that I wanted nothing more than to hold her in my arms and tell her everything was going to be okay. Let¡¯s not forget her body that had been in my dreams practically from the moment I laid eyes on her.


    Letting out a sigh, I pushed my crazy thoughts of Sierra out of my mind. I needed to stay focused.


    Resting her hands on her chin, Em watched me intently while I placed the order for our pizza. Hanging up, I stared at her. ¡°Why are you staring at me?¡±


    Shrugging her shoulders, Em sat up and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just taking this all in. I¡¯ve never seen my big brother in love before.¡±


    Busting out laughing, I shook my head. ¡°In love? Ha! Em, you know nothing.¡±


    Raising her eyebrow, Em tilted her head. ¡°Really? If you can look me in the eye and tell me you have zero feelings for this, Sierra, I¡¯ll believe you.¡±


    My heart began pounding in my chest. Did I love Sierra? How could I love her? We¡¯ve pushed and pulled each other pretty much since the day we met.


    ¡°I¡¯m waiting, Aaron.¡±


    Brushing her off with my hands, I looked down at the puppy. ¡°Sierra clearly hates me, Em. Who buys a single guy a puppy?¡±


    Giggling, Em reached down and picked up the ball of fur. Jesus, I¡¯m going to have dog hair everywhere.


    Grabbing my cell phone, Em took a selfie with her and the nameless mutt.


    ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡±


    Leaning back against the counter, I smiled. ¡°Sierra.¡±


    Gasping, Em held the puppy closer to her. ¡°Aaron! You can¡¯t name the dog after the girl who gave it to you.¡±


    Shrugging my shoulders, I asked, ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°You just can¡¯t!¡±


    Pushing off the counter, I grabbed my cell phone and smiled as I looked at the picture. Damn, it sure was a cute dog.


    ¡°The dog is a bitch, Sierra is a bitch. It¡¯s perfect!¡±


    Shaking her head, Em moved toward the door. ¡°Let¡¯s put her collar on and take her with us to dinner.¡±


    ¡°What? Take her to dinner? They aren¡¯t going to let her in Home Slice.¡±


    Em stopped adjusting the collar and stared at me. ¡°How did you make it through law school, dude? We can eat outside. Maybe take her for a little walk while we are at it!¡±


    Moaning, I grabbed the leash and pulled the price tag off.


    This was going to be a long night.


    I hated Sierra so hard.


    ¡°You need a crate,¡± Em said as we walked . . . or attempted to walk . . . along the Town Lake trail.


    ¡°What for?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Puppy needs somewhere to sleep. She¡¯ll be safe in a crate.¡±


    Smiling, I thought more and more about this crate idea. ¡°Sierra locked up in a cage. Where she can¡¯t bug anyone. I love it!¡±


    Clearing her throat, Em asked, ¡°Are you talking about the dog or the girl you love?¡±


    Snapping my head over to Em, I shot her daggers. ¡°I don¡¯t love her. Stop saying that!¡±


    ¡°You do.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t, Em.¡±


    ¡°Do.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Okay, if you say so.¡±


    Nodding my head, I looked straight ahead. ¡°I say so.¡±


    Smiling, I watched a blonde-haired girl making her way up the trail. She stopped almost on a dime when she saw the puppy. Leaning down, I got a perfect shot of her tits. Huh. Maybe this whole puppy thing was a good thing after all.

 Page 29

    ¡°Oh my goodness! What a precious little puppy! Boy or girl?¡±


    Pulling my eyes from her tits, I smiled. ¡°Girl.¡±


    The jogger picked up the puppy and held her against her chest. Fucking lucky dog.


    ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡±


    Em poked me in the side. ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet; my sister isn¡¯t being much help.¡±


    The jogger glanced at Em and smiled. When she turned to me, her lips parted open. ¡°Well, if you need help naming her, I¡¯d be more than happy to help you brainstorm.¡±


    I fucking love Sierra.


    Smiling, I said, ¡°A brainstorming session. I like the sound of that.¡±


    Running her tongue along her upper lip, the jogger set the puppy down. ¡°Well then, let me give you my cell phone number and let¡¯s plan it.¡±


    Pulling out my phone, I handed it to her as I said, ¡°The name is Dodge.¡±


    Grinning while she typed in her information, she purred back her name. ¡°Meredith.¡± Handing it back, she gave me wink. ¡°Hope to hear from you soon, Dodge. We can pound out some ideas.¡±


    Fuck me. My dick just jumped with my baby sister standing next to me. Not cool.


    Meredith took off running as I watched her fade into the distance. Damn, she had a nice body. Looking back at Em, she stood there with her mouth gaped open.


    ¡°That was gross! Oh my gosh. Aaron, please tell me you are not calling that floozy! And why did you tell her your name was Dodge?¡±


    Shrugging my shoulders, I laughed. ¡°It¡¯s just a nickname, Em. That¡¯s all.¡±


    Shaking her head, Em looked at me. ¡°Well I like Aaron. Your real name.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, Dodge and Aaron are two different people, Em.¡±


    Tilting her head, she gave me a smile. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s time you decide which one you want to be . . . Aaron.¡±


    Swallowing hard, I slowly nodded my head before pulling away from my sister¡¯s knowing eyes.


    Looking down at my phone, I smiled as I opened up my pictures. Seeing the picture of Em and the puppy, I sent it to Sierra.


    Me: My sister Em loves the mutt, even though you ruined dinner with my baby sister on my birthday.


    Less than a minute later, Sierra responded.


    Sierra: You were having dinner with your sister?


    Me: Yeah, why?


    Sierra: No reason. Have fun potty training the pup!


    Rolling my eyes, I pushed my phone back into my pocket. I was back to hating Sierra again. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get to PetSmart and get that crate.¡±


    The entire way to PetSmart I had to listen to Em lecture me about whoring around with women. The sooner this day was over the better.


    Whining, crying, howling. Holy fucking shit! Pulling the pillow over my head, I yelled out, ¡°Make it stop!¡±


    Looking at the clock, I wanted to cry. It was three in the morning, and I had to get up in a few hours to exercise and get to work. Pushing the covers off of me, I headed into the laundry room.


    Opening the door, I glanced down at the sweetest looking face I¡¯d ever seen. The puppy immediately stopped yelping.


    Letting out a sigh, I opened the crate and she came running out. Scoping her up into my arms, I made my way to the back door. She took off for the grass and peed for the longest damn time.


    Smiling, I leaned against the house. Damn, if she wasn¡¯t already the smartest dog ever. Pesh. Sierra thought she pulled one over on me. Look at my baby girl going potty on her own.


    Turning and looking at me, I swear the damn dog smiled as she ran back to me. Picking her up, I gave her a small treat. ¡°What a good girl you are! Yes you are. Who¡¯s my pretty girl?¡±


    Getting rewarded with kisses all over my face, I laughed and looked around. Fuck, if anyone ever heard me talking to her like this, I¡¯d be labeled a pussy for life. Especially if Sierra heard me.


    Making my way back into the laundry room, I put the pup back in her crate. Standing up, I looked down at her sad face. Holding up my hands, I said, ¡°Oh no. Don¡¯t even think of giving me that look.¡±


    Then she whined. My heart broke in two. Damn it all to hell. Opening the crate, I picked her back up and carried her to my room. ¡°This is a trial run. You piss or shit in my bed and your ass is right back in that crate. I need some sleep, princess, if I let you sleep with me and you¡¯re good, I might consider a repeat.¡±


    The pup began kissing my chin as I smiled. Crawling into bed, my little princess snuggled right up next to me. It took her less than two minutes to fall asleep. Thank you, God.


    My body slowly began to relax. Drifting off to sleep, the thought of how I was going to pay Sierra back slowly faded away.

 Page 30

    WALKING INTO THE CONFERENCE ROOM, I stopped and looked at the three men sitting around the table. I had asked for an update on how things were going for the trial. Clearing my throat, I glanced over to Mr. Walker, Dodge¡¯s father, and smiled.


    All three men stood as Mr. Walker motioned for me to sit down. ¡°Wow, I¡¯m going to guess y¡¯all have bad news and Aaron was too afraid to tell me.¡±


    All three laughed. ¡°No, nothing like that Sierra. Aaron is running late from an earlier meeting. He asked us to be present during this meeting. Mrs. Jackson, this is Kyle Lenard and Bill Scott. They are both private investigators.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± I said with a smile as I looked at the private investigators. What in the hell is going on?


    The door opened and I jumped when Dodge spoke. ¡°Good afternoon, gentlemen, Sierra.¡±


    Looking up at Dodge, I smiled. I hadn¡¯t seen him in two weeks. I avoided Dodge because I was eaten alive with guilt by sending him a damn puppy to ruin a date. When I found out his big hot date was with his sister, I felt terrible.


    Pulling my eyes off of Dodge, I caught his father watching me. Smiling the sweetest smile I could, I glanced down at my hands and slowly took in a deep breath.


    ¡°Aaron, I¡¯m going to guess you have a good reason to call us all together?¡± Mr. Walker said.


    Grinning, Dodge sat down. ¡°I do. I¡¯ve been looking into who might have broken into Mrs. Jackson¡¯s house. My first guess was Lisa Blank, Dr. Jackson¡¯s current girlfriend. After some . . . um . . . investigation, I was ready to rule Ms. Blank out; now, I¡¯m not so sure.¡±


    Mr. Walker leaned forward, ¡°What do you mean? Are you thinking she was the one who planted the rose?¡±


    Nodding his head, Dodge said, ¡°Yes, I think she played a part in it. I have a theory. I think Robert was banking on us trying to go after him as the one who broke into the house. If we went after him, he was sure to have an alibi to say he was somewhere during the time you were in the tub.¡± Looking at his father, Dodge nodded his head as his father responded with a nod of his own.


    Clearing my throat, I spoke. ¡°Wait, I¡¯m confused.¡±


    Dodge looked at me. ¡°He was trying to set you up, Sierra. Make it look like you were planting things against him to make him look bad.¡±


    Sucking in a breath of air, I whispered, ¡°That bastard.¡±


    ¡°Where does Ms. Blank come in to all of this?¡± Kyle asked.


    Dodge leaned back in chair. ¡°I think she paid the maid to plant the rose.¡±


    Bill nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯ll do some looking around.¡±


    Kyle nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on Ms. Blank like you asked. I haven¡¯t seen anything out of the ordinary.¡±


    Dodge nodded his head. ¡°We need to find out who has been following Sierra.¡±


    Looking between the four men, I shook my head. ¡°Wait. What makes you think he is still having me followed? I haven¡¯t heard from him at all in a few weeks.¡±


    Dodge¡¯s face fell for a brief second. Sadness filled his eyes.


    Glancing over to his father quickly and then back to me, Dodge moved about in his seat before looking back at me. Something moved across his face, but it was gone as quickly as it came. ¡°He has photos of you with a Dr. Elliot Emmerson together before you were legally separated. Since you appear to have started up your relationship again with Dr. Emmerson, your husband is now saying you were having two affairs while you were together.¡±


    My mouth dropped open and my head began to spin. I wasn¡¯t sure what I was more shocked by. The fact that Dodge just said I was having an affair or that Robert was pulling this card.


    Standing up, I felt my entire body start shaking. ¡°Are you accusing me of having an affair? I never cheated on my husband. Ever!¡±


    Dodge reached into a folder and pulled out a handful of photos. Placing my hand on my stomach, I felt sick. I¡¯d been out with Elliot three times in the last two weeks. I wasn¡¯t even sure why; I didn¡¯t like him, but it meant I wasn¡¯t sitting at home alone. ¡°Dr. Jackson is trying to offer a settlement. His lawyer sent these photos over yesterday afternoon,¡± Dodge said as he slid the pictures across the table.


    Grabbing them, I sucked in a breath as I flipped through the pictures. One was of Elliot and me leaving the restaurant on our first date. The second one was of us jogging on the Town Lake trail. The next one made me feel sick. Leaning against my door at home, it looked like Elliot was about to kiss me. Finally I came across the one that Robert was trying to use to say I was cheating during the marriage. It was a picture of Elliot holding me in his arms as I was laughing. I knew exactly when and where that picture was taken.

 Page 31

    Letting out a sigh, I dropped the photos on the table. ¡°How long has he been having me followed?¡± I asked as my voice sounded weak.


    Kyle cleared his throat and began talking. ¡°When was this last picture taken, Mrs. Jackson?¡±


    Feeling tears build in my eyes, I dug my nails into my hands. ¡°Please, call me Sierra. I can¡¯t stand to hear his name.¡±


    ¡°Of course, my apologies.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t believe Dodge thought I had lied to him. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I turned to Mr. Walker and didn¡¯t even bother to look at Dodge.


    ¡°The last picture was taken about six months before I caught my husband in bed with Lisa. It was at a team-building event for work. I have other pictures from that event, as well as a video I¡¯m sure I can get my hands on. It will show that I had just made the winning goal in a stupid soccer game we were playing. Dr. Emmerson ran up and grabbed me and spun me around, congratulating me.¡±


    Taking a chance to look at Dodge, I shook my head and let out a gruff laugh. ¡°Had Robert asked whoever was following me where this was taken, he would have known I could dispute it. Honestly, it appears it¡¯s not only Robert¡¯s lawyer who doesn¡¯t do their homework before they throw out accusations.¡± Dodge looked away.


    Swallowing hard, I looked back at Mr. Walker. ¡°The other photo, of us jogging together . . . we weren¡¯t alone; it was a jogging group that some of the doctors and nurses set up. Elliot asked me to join them for a run and I did. The other photo, Elliot was dropping me off at home and was saying good-bye. He leaned in to kiss me, but I told him no. I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s why the super smart PI didn¡¯t get a picture of us kissing . . . because we never did.¡±


    ¡°Are you dating Dr. Emmerson, Sierra?¡± Mr. Walker asked.


    Shaking my head, I whispered, ¡°No. But even if I was, Mr. Walker, I¡¯m legally separated. Am I not allowed to date anyone?¡±


    Standing up, Mr. Walker walked over to me. ¡°Of course you are, Sierra. It¡¯s just we need you to be careful. It seems Dr. Jackson is becoming desperate. He¡¯s grasping at straws now if he is trying to pull affairs out of the air.¡±


    Nodding my head, I looked back at Dodge. ¡°Maybe next time before you accuse me of something, Aaron, you should ask me first.¡±


    Dodge stood up. ¡°I wasn¡¯t accusing; I was trying to get answers, Sierra.¡±


    Shaking my head, I took a few steps back. ¡°Is there anything else we need to discuss before the hearing? I¡¯m not feeling very well and ready to head home.¡±


    Dodge¡¯s father looked at him. ¡°No, I think we¡¯re good to go. I would like to go over some questions they might ask you. Prepare you for questioning,¡± Dodge said as he pushed his hand through his hair. I wanted to be turned on by the motion, but my heart was still throbbing from Dodge¡¯s accusations of me having an affair.


    ¡°Sierra, are you free this weekend?¡± Mr. Walker asked.


    Dodge began choking on his own spit. Good. I hoped he passed out and hit his head on something hard. ¡°Dad, what are you doing?¡±


    Holding up his hand to quiet Dodge, I glanced over at him and gave him a smirk. ¡°We are running out of time before the trial and I really want to go over some things with Sierra before next week,¡± Dodge¡¯s father said.


    ¡°No, sir. I¡¯m totally open all weekend. No plans at all,¡± I said.


    Turning back to Mr. Walker, he wore a huge grin. ¡°Perfect. I¡¯ll have my car pick you up at your house tomorrow morning around seven. You¡¯ll be in Port Aransas just in time for lunch.¡±


    My smiled dropped as I stared at Dodge¡¯s father. Swallowing hard, I whispered, ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    Placing his hand on my shoulder, Mr. Walker gave me a wink. ¡°Pack casual clothing and maybe one formal gown for dinner on Saturday night at the country club.¡±


    Wait. What? What the fuck just happened?


    Turning to Dodge, his back was faced toward us as he stared out the window.


    ¡°Wait, um, Mr. Walker what do you mean?¡±


    Guiding me out the door, Mr. Walker started laughing. ¡°You¡¯re spending the weekend at my beach house, dear. We are having a family get together. It will be perfect for Aaron and me to prepare you for everything that Dr. Jackson¡¯s lawyers are going to try to ask you while you¡¯re on the stand.¡±


    I glanced over my shoulder to see Dodge talking to Kyle. Looking straight ahead, I tried to concentrate on breathing.


    Oh my God. I¡¯m spending the weekend with Dodge and his family. How did this happen?


    Oh Christ.


    I¡¯m screwed.

 Page 32

    ¡°Ryn! You¡¯re not helping me any!¡± I shouted into the phone as I stared at two gowns hanging up in front of me.


    ¡°Okay, sorry. I can¡¯t help but laugh at how stupid you were to walk right into this weekend.¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I sat down on the edge of the bed. I could feel my heart pounding in my damn ears. ¡°How in the hell did I know Dodge¡¯s father was going to ask me to crash their family beach weekend?¡±


    Ryn started laughing again. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I would have given anything to see your face!¡±


    ¡°I hate you. Like, I mean I¡¯m really feeling the hate for you, bitch.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I wonder if Princess will be there?¡± Ryn asked as she shouted something to Tristan.


    ¡°Princess? Who the hell is that?¡± I asked as I stood up and held the shorter gown up to me as I looked at myself in the mirror.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know? You were the one who gave the dog to Dodge in the first place.¡±


    My mouth dropped open as I tried to let that all soak in. ¡°Wait. He named the damn dog . . . Princess?¡±


    Ryn giggled. ¡°Yep. Tristan said she goes to doggy daycare every day while Dodge is at work. Tristan even said that Dodge has admitted to sneaking her into work once or twice.¡±


    Dropping the dress to my side, I smiled. ¡°He kept the puppy?¡±


    Ryn laughed. ¡°Of course he did, Sierra. What did you think he would do with her?¡±


    Slowly shaking my head, I paused for a moment as I pictured Dodge with that sweet little ball of fluff. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I figured he would have given her away.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a chick magnet! Dodge is probably thanking you for her, Sierra. He told Tristan he has never had so many women offer up their numbers as he did when he was out walking Princess.¡±


    Dropping my mouth open, I closed my eyes. Oh my God. Instead of pushing women away from him . . . I led them straight to him. Falling back onto the bed, I let out a moan.


    Fuck. My. Life.


    The car honked right on time. It was seven on the dot. Grabbing my bag and the two dresses, because I couldn¡¯t narrow it down to just one, I headed to the door. Setting the alarm that my father insisted I have put in, I started to walk to what I thought was going to be some black mysterious-looking car. Nope. God is out to get me . . . clearly he likes to see me suffer.


    Sitting in my driveway was a black Toyota truck with one dashingly good-looking asshole sitting in the front seat. Of course he had a shit-eating grin on his face as I stood there, frozen in my spot.


    Dodge rolled down the passenger window. ¡°Come on, Sierra. We need to be in Port A by noon or my mother will flip.¡±


    His mother? Oh my God. I was going to puke. I was meeting Dodge¡¯s mother! And I was not meeting her in the way I wanted to meet her, though. Dodge wasn¡¯t bringing me home to meet her because I was the woman he loved more than anything in this entire world and he wanted to share that with his mother. No, he was bringing me to meet his mother because I was a client who needed to be prepped for her asshat husband¡¯s stupid lawyers¡¯ endless questions regarding an affair that never happened!


    Ugh! This is not happening!


    ¡°Hello? Earth to Sierra?¡±


    Shaking my head, I walked toward the truck as Dodge jumped out. Reaching for my bag, I pulled it back. ¡°No. No, this isn¡¯t right. Your father said his car was going to pick me up. He didn¡¯t say anything about you picking me up.¡±


    Dodge gave me that damn melt-my-panties-in-an-instant smile of his. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You afraid to drive with me, short stack?¡±


    Ugh. Dodge had given me that stupid nickname months ago and apparently it was going to stick.


    I was about to answer when I heard a puppy bark and a little fur ball jumped up and looked out the window. Gasping, I pushed my bag and the two dresses into Dodge¡¯s chest and made a beeline to the puppy.


    ¡°Oh my goodness! Look at her! She¡¯s gotten so big!¡±


    Dodge opened the back door to his truck and set my bag down. My heart melted when he hung up my two dresses. Most guys would have just tossed the dresses into the back seat.


    ¡°Wait. You¡¯ve seen Princess before?¡± Dodge asked as he reached in and grabbed the puppy and put her in my arms as I sat down in the truck. Shutting the door, Dodge leaned in and my stomach dropped with how he was looking at the puppy. Why couldn¡¯t he look at me like that? Looking forward, I snarled my lip. Did I really just think that? Good lord, I didn¡¯t need to be near this man for the next three hours.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ve seen her before. Kacey was trying to get me to take her for a few weeks before I suggested you maybe wanting a dog.¡±

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    Dodge placed his finger on my chin and turned me to face him. His eyes met mine and I wanted to let out a moan. ¡°What makes you think I needed a dog, Sierra?¡±


    Smiling, I said, ¡°Oh, Dodge. Don¡¯t get all sweet and lovey on me. I only suggested it because I thought it would make your life a living hell.¡±


    Dodge fought to hold his smile back, but I saw it in his eyes. ¡°Thanks for that.¡±


    Shrugging my shoulders, I said, ¡°That¡¯s what friends are for. Right?¡±


    The light from Dodge¡¯s eyes faded some. ¡°Right.¡±


    Shit. This was going to be a long drive.


    SIERRA HELD PRINCESS ALMOST THE entire trip down to the coast. We only stopped once for Princess to go potty. There was something so flippin¡¯ sexy about Sierra holding my dog in her lap and loving on her. I¡¯d never admit it to Sierra, but I loved that damn dog. She kept me company and gave me someone to talk to.


    Looking away, I fought to keep the crazy emotions down. I knew I was falling more and more for Sierra, but when she mentioned things like us being friends, I didn¡¯t know how to read her. One minute she looked at me like she wanted to kiss me, the next it was as if she wanted to knock the hell out of me.


    Sierra seemed to be really nervous and I had no idea why. Kind of like I had no idea why my father invited Sierra along on a family only vacation, but I wasn¡¯t going to argue with him. When Sierra was around, the happier I felt. Sierra¡¯s leg was bouncing up and down as she looked out the window. Reaching down, I took a hold of her hand. ¡°Sierra, is everything okay? You don¡¯t seem like yourself.¡±


    Sierra¡¯s eyes caught mine as she sucked in a breath. Good lord she had the most beautiful blue eyes. I could swim in them for the rest of my life.


    ¡°Um . . . I just . . . I guess I¡¯m nervous about the hearing and all. I¡¯m ready for this to all just be over so I can move on with my life. What if he wins, Dodge? What if they push it back again?¡±


    Damn. The last thing I wanted was for her to be nervous. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. I promise you, Robert is not going to win this and they have exhausted all extensions. The judge assured us the hearing will go on as planned. It¡¯s going to be in our favor.¡±


    Sierra glanced down and asked, ¡°How do you know that, Dodge?¡±


    Placing my finger on Sierra¡¯s chin, I lifted her eyes to mine. ¡°Because I¡¯m not about to let him hurt you anymore, and I¡¯m your lawyer now. Didn¡¯t you know you had the best lawyer in Austin?¡±


    Giving me a weak grin, Sierra said, ¡°No, I thought you were just known as the best lemon drop maker in Austin.¡±


    Grinning, I moved my hand to the side of her face and gently brushed her tear away. ¡°Please don¡¯t cry, short stack. I can¡¯t take you crying. You¡¯re probably one of the strongest women I know next to my mother. Please don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Giving me a slight smile, Sierra asked, ¡°How is your mother feeling?¡±


    Smiling, I said, ¡°The chemo has taken its toll on her, but she is doing amazing. This whole weekend is about celebrating her win over cancer.¡±


    My heart dropped to my stomach with the way Sierra was looking at me.


    Chewing on her lower lip, Sierra whispered, ¡°I¡¯m honored to be able to meet her.¡±


    Swallowing hard, my body ignited at the idea of introducing Sierra to my mother as something more than just a friend. Or a client. No, Sierra was so much more than that. So. Much. More.


    Giving Sierra a smile, I was barely able to find the words to speak. ¡°She¡¯s going to fall in love with you.¡±


    Turning, I looked out the window as the ferry docked.


    Ten minutes later, we were pulling into my parents¡¯ beach house driveway.


    ¡°Awe, Grams is here.¡±


    ¡°Oh shit,¡± Sierra whispered as her body slumped over.


    Making my way to my mother, I gave her a kiss on the cheek and then moved on to my Grams. They both looked beautiful.


    ¡°Mom, you have some color back,¡± I said as I gave her a once-over.


    ¡°This sea air agrees with me,¡± she said as she glanced over to my father.


    Em walked up to me and hugged me. ¡°Introduce us, Aaron.¡±


    Turning, I saw Sierra holding Princess. Smiling, I motioned for Sierra to walk over. Was that . . . fear . . . in Sierra¡¯s eyes? Huh. Interesting.


    Em immediately pulled Sierra into her arms before I could even introduce her. ¡°Sierra! It¡¯s so nice to meet you! I¡¯ve heard so much about you. I¡¯m Em, Aaron¡¯s sister.¡±


    Widening her eyes in surprise, Sierra asked, ¡°You have?¡±

 Page 34

    Em giggled. ¡°Oh yeah, Aaron talks about you all the time.¡±


    My mouth dropped damn near to the ground. ¡°Well don¡¯t believe anything he says about me,¡± Sierra said, trying to act completely normal. Em pulled her head back in surprise.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. He speaks highly of you. Said you¡¯re the best thing that¡¯s happened to him in a long time.¡±


    What the fuck?


    Sierra¡¯s eyes snapped over to me. Laughing, Sierra looked around. ¡°What are you looking for?¡± I asked as I took Princess from Sierra¡¯s arms and handed her to Em.


    ¡°Hidden cameras.¡±


    Laughing, I shook my head. ¡°Why?¡±


    Looking at Em and then back to me, Sierra shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t believe for one minute you¡¯ve been spreading good cheer about me, that¡¯s all.¡±


    My heart dropped and I tried to like hell to ignore the sadness in Sierra¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Okay, kids, it¡¯s my turn,¡± my mother said as she made her way over to Sierra. ¡°Hello, Sierra.¡±


    Returning my mother¡¯s hug, Sierra smiled that sweet smile of hers that made my knees weak. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Walker.¡±


    Letting out a laugh, my mother pulled Sierra in for another hug. Jesus, why is she being so lovey-dovey with her? ¡°You can call me Kate. Brice has spoken highly of you.¡±


    Sierra looked confused. ¡°Brice?¡±


    ¡°My father,¡± I said looking between my dad and mom. What in the hell is going on? Why is my whole damn family acting like Sierra is my girlfriend? Gram made her way over to Sierra and gave her a once-over before pulling her into her arms and hugging the shit out of her.


    ¡°Oh my! Those blue eyes are beautiful. Here I thought Aaron had the most beautiful baby blues. Yours are beyond breathtaking. What amazing babies they¡¯ll make.¡±


    Sierra smiled and then dropped it as she stared at my Grams. ¡°Um . . . babies? What babies?¡± Glancing back at me, I shrugged my shoulders. I could tell Sierra was just as confused as I was.


    Slapping her hands together, my mother spun around and looked at me. ¡°Aaron, show Sierra to her room. I have her in the guest room next to yours.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Sierra and I said at once.


    ¡°I . . . I thought I would be in a guest house or something,¡± Sierra said as her voice cracked.


    My mother looked at Sierra like she was insane. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, Sierra. Change into something casual, sweetheart. We are going to get down and dirty for lunch.¡± My mother gave Sierra a wink and walked into my father¡¯s arms.


    My mother was my father¡¯s entire world. I had to admit, with me giving in and working at the law firm, they both seemed to be so much happier. Even I had been happier. I missed my other job, but being a lawyer was what I was meant to do. I felt it in my bones. Once I finally admitted it to myself, I found myself longing to prove to my father I had what it took to be a great lawyer.


    Em walked up to me and whispered, ¡°They¡¯ve been like this all morning. It¡¯s kind of cute!¡±


    Nodding my head, I watched my father wrap his arm around my mother¡¯s waist as he led her back into the house. I wanted that. I wanted a love that made me smile like my father was smiling at my mother.


    Clearing her throat behind me, Sierra walked over to my truck and pulled out her bag and the two dress bags. Quickly making my way over to her, I took them from her.


    ¡°Dodge, I¡¯m so confused.¡±


    Letting out a nervous chuckle, I said, ¡°Me too.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, Sierra climbed the stairs up to the entrance of the house. Stopping, she turned to me and said, ¡°I thought . . . well . . . I thought we would be going over the trial and I would be staying away from the family. Like in a guesthouse or something.¡±


    Pulling my head back in surprise, I stared at Sierra. ¡°Why in the hell would you be staying away from the family? Sierra, you¡¯re a friend of mine. My family wouldn¡¯t treat you any different.¡±


    Nodding her head, she smiled weakly. ¡°Of course. But I¡¯m also a client. Let¡¯s not lose sight of that, Mr. Walker.¡±


    Frowning, I hesitated before turning and walking into the house as Sierra followed me.


    Five minutes later, I was walking Sierra into the guest bedroom next to mine. I wasn¡¯t sure how I would be able to sleep at night knowing Sierra would be in the room right next to me. Spinning around like a little girl, Sierra giggled. ¡°Oh my goodness. This is the cutest room I¡¯ve ever seen. Who decorated it?¡±


    Looking around the room, it was done in blues and whites. ¡°My mother.¡±

 Page 35

    Smiling, Sierra flopped down on the bed. ¡°It¡¯s breathtaking. It makes me feel like I¡¯m at the ocean. Something about it is . . . calming.¡±


    Setting her bag down, I smiled. Sierra laid back onto the bed, and I quickly fantasized what it would be like making love to her. Our first time would be slow, so I could memorize her body. Learn what she liked and didn¡¯t like and then spend the rest of the night pleasing her.


    My dick jumped in my pants as I looked away. ¡°Do you need to freshen up or anything before we leave for lunch?¡±


    Sitting up, Sierra stared at me. It was almost as if she had been thinking the same thing I was thinking. ¡°Sure. Um . . . yeah. I should probably do that.¡±


    Backing up toward the door, I nodded. ¡°Great. Okay well I¡¯ll meet you back downstairs.¡±


    Giving me a weak smile, Sierra bit down on her lower lip. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Spinning around, I grabbed the doorknob and yanked it open. I needed to get out of her room before I stripped her down naked and we had a different kind of lunch.


    ¡°The Crazy Cajun is Mom¡¯s favorite place to go every time we come to Port Aransas,¡± I said as Sierra sat across from my mother.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never eaten here,¡± Sierra said as my mother gave her a shocked look. Em sat on one side of Sierra, while I sat on the other across from my father.


    ¡°Never?¡± Mom asked.


    Sierra let out a nervous chuckle. ¡°Nope, never.¡±


    Glancing over to me, my mother gave me a smile. ¡°You¡¯re in for a treat then.¡±


    Sierra smiled politely.


    ¡°Your home is beautiful, Mr. and Mrs. Walker,¡± Sierra said with a sweet smile.


    ¡°Please, sweetheart, call us Kate and Brice. There will be no Mr. and Mrs. this weekend.¡±


    Sierra nodded her head and glanced at me, confusion lacing her face. She¡¯d already been confused as hell with my father inviting her. His excuse that we were running out of time seemed reasonable, until he began questioning me about Sierra. I knew my father could see right through me in regards to my feelings toward Sierra.


    Em and Sierra were going on and on about some new movie they both wanted to see. My mind couldn¡¯t focus on a damn thing. Every time Sierra¡¯s body brushed up against mine, or her arm touched me, a jolt of electricity raced through my body and I swear it stopped my heart.


    ¡°Oh, Aaron! You have to take Sierra crabbing tonight,¡± Em said as she bounced around in her seat.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    Em tilted her head and looked at me with a smile that said she knew exactly what I was thinking about. Smirking at her, I rolled my eyes and looked at my father.


    What. The. Hell. He was looking at me the same way.


    ¡°Crabbing! Aaron, Sierra just told me she has never been crabbing.¡±


    Looking at Sierra, I laughed. ¡°You own a house on South Padre. How have you never gone crabbing?¡±


    Shrugging her shoulders, Sierra smiled. ¡°I dunno. Just never have. Never had anyone to show me.¡±


    Em let out a little squeal. ¡°Now you do!¡±


    I was about to say something when the waitress came over with a large pot. Dumping the food on the table, my mouth watered at the shrimp, crab legs and boiled potatoes.


    Glancing over to Sierra, she looked like she had just seen a ghost. ¡°Jesus H. Christ. They have the heads on still,¡± Sierra whispered as she grabbed onto my leg and stared at the food on the table. ¡°You like shrimp, right?¡± I asked as I picked one up and ripped the head off and handed it to Sierra. She swallowed hard and then looked at me. Something inside me knew she was about to get sick.


    Jumping up, I yelled out, ¡°Oh, shit!¡±


    Sierra put her hands over her mouth as I quickly pulled her up and hauled her outside with my parents and Em all calling out for us. Something kicked in and the idea of Sierra being sick had me wanting to do anything I could to take it away.


    Pushing the exit door open, I picked up Sierra as she cried out, ¡°Put me down! I¡¯m going to hurl!¡±


    Taking her around the building, I put her down. ¡°Are you okay? Sierra, take a deep breath in and slowly blow it out.¡±


    Then she did it. That move you do when you¡¯re attempting not to throw up and your whole body jumps and your cheeks puff out. Shaking my head, I said, ¡°Hold it in! Hold it in!¡±


    Shaking her head, Sierra turned and let it all go. Reaching for her hair, I pulled it back as Sierra threw up. Turning away, I gagged a couple of times until I got myself under control by singing an AC/DC song out loud to drown out her throwing up. Who would have thought, badass Sierra couldn¡¯t take the head being pulled off of a shrimp?

 Page 36

    Sierra had a weak stomach. I was going to have to remember that little detail for future torturing.


    WALKING BACK INTO THE RESTAURANT with Dodge took every ounce of strength I had. The moment we stopped at the table and I looked down, I covered my mouth and ran back out the door.


    Less than thirty seconds later, Dodge had me in his arms as he carried me to his truck. Burying my face into his chest, I slowly breathed in his scent. My stomach settled, but my heart took off in a frenzy.


    Smiling slightly, I let it sink in. Dodge had me in his arms. What I wouldn¡¯t give to have that every single day.


    ¡°Are you okay, baby?¡±


    Oh God. I¡¯d never let him know that moan was from him calling me baby and had nothing to do with the fact that I just puked my guts out in the parking lot of his mother¡¯s favorite restaurant. Grabbing a hold of his shirt, I let out a moan. Chuckling, Dodge skillfully opened the door of his truck and placed me inside. Brushing the hair back away from my face, Dodge smiled. Feeling like a complete idiot, I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I ruined lunch with your parents and sister. Please go back in and enjoy lunch, I¡¯ll just rest my eyes in the truck for a bit.¡±


    Dodge¡¯s eyes lit up as he looked down to my lips. Damn it all to hell. Why did I have to just throw up? I wanted him to kiss me more than anything. Tapping his finger on the tip of my nose, Dodge gave me a wink. ¡°Do you feel like trying something else to eat?¡±


    ¡°Does it involve ripping any body part off of said food?¡±


    Laughing, Dodge shook his head. ¡°No. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m down for it.¡±


    ¡°Let me tell everyone we¡¯ve had a change in plans.¡±


    Nodding my head, I whispered, ¡°Okay.¡± Shutting the door, Dodge ran back into the restaurant and was back in his truck in record time.


    ¡°I have a special place I like to go to that I have never told anyone about.¡±


    Smiling, I felt a happiness bubble up inside of me. ¡°Not even, Em?¡±


    ¡°Well, Em knows about this special place, but I sneak there so I don¡¯t have to share it with her.¡±


    ¡°I feel so special right now,¡± I said with a wink.


    Dodge started his truck and headed out of the parking lot. ¡°You should. This is the best-kept secret on the island. I expect you to keep this to yourself.¡±


    Using my fingers, I crossed my heart. ¡°Cross my heart, I won¡¯t tell a soul.¡±


    Smirking, Dodge handed me a pack of gum. I took that as I hint and pulled out two pieces, but not before grabbing the bottle of water sitting in the cup holder and taking a few drinks.


    Glancing over to me, Dodge said, ¡°I¡¯m going to need something more ironclad than just you crossing your fingers over your heart.¡±


    Raising my eyebrow, I stared at him. ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yep. It¡¯s that big of a secret.¡±


    ¡°Fine, whatever you want. Is it okay if we stop at a store so I can buy a toothbrush and brush my teeth?¡±


    Letting out a chuckle Dodge laughed and pulled into Walgreens. Running in, I grabbed a toothbrush and some travel toothpaste. After paying, I made a beeline to the bathroom.


    After leaving Walgreens, Dodge drove another five minutes. He pulled into a driveway that led to a little, white beach house. The flowers planted outside the house were stunning. In the back, I could see a garden that I was sure would be filled to the max with veggies come this summer.


    Opening the truck door, I jumped out as Dodge walked up to me. ¡°This is Minnie¡¯s house. I¡¯ve been coming here for as long as I can remember. She used to take care of Em and me when we were younger. Cleaned my parents¡¯ beach house up until two years ago when she retired.¡±


    Smiling, I looked back at the house. ¡°The house is so charming. I love it!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to love what¡¯s inside more.¡±


    Before I knew it? Dodge had me pushed against his truck with his body pressed against mine. My chest instantly began heaving as I felt his tight body on mine. ¡°What in the hell are you doing?¡±


    Dodge stared me in the eyes. ¡°I mean it, Sierra. You cannot tell a soul we were here. Especially, Em.¡±


    Nodding my head, I whispered, ¡°O-okay. I won¡¯t tell anyone. But what if she asks where we¡ª¡±


    Dodge placed his finger over my lips. ¡°Not a word.¡±


    Dodge glanced down at my lips and I had never been so grateful for making him stop and let me brush my teeth. Holding my breath in anticipation for what I prayed Dodge would do next, I wet my lips.


    Dodge pressed his lips against mine as I opened my mouth to him. His tongue slowly began to explore my mouth and it didn¡¯t take long before I had my arms wrapped around his neck and I was totally lost in the kiss.

 Page 37

    Pulling back, Dodge¡¯s eyes were on fire and his breathing matched mine. Deep and fast. ¡°You won¡¯t tell anyone, right?¡±


    Wait. What are we talking about again?


    ¡°Um . . . I um . . . I won¡¯t say a word. To anyone.¡±


    Dodge flashed me a smile that had me fighting to keep my hand out of my pants. ¡°Good girl. Now let¡¯s go.¡± Grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the front door, Dodge chuckled.


    Bastard.


    I sure as hell hope that kiss affected him as much as it did me. The door opened and an older woman stepped out. She had to be in her early seventies and she wore the most breathtaking smile I¡¯d ever seen.


    ¡°Minnie!¡± Dodge said as he dropped my hand and dashed up the stairs. Gently pulling her into his arms, Dodge picked her up as she let out a small laugh.


    ¡°Oh my! Put me down you crazy boy!¡± Minnie said. Letting out a giggle, I watched the scene unfold.


    Dodge kissed Minnie on the cheek as he slowly put her back down. ¡°Minnie, it¡¯s so good to see you.¡±


    ¡°You too, my boy. It¡¯s been too long since I last saw you and young Emily.¡± Minnie looked over to me and the smile that spread across her face caused me to return an even bigger. Her smile was infectious. I pictured her running around on the beach chasing after a younger Dodge and Em. My heart instantly warmed up to this woman standing before me.


    Dodge held his hand out for me as I walked up the stairs. Taking my hand, Dodge pulled me to his side, which surprised the hell out of me. ¡°Minnie, I¡¯d like you to meet my very good friend, Sierra. Sierra, this is Minnie.¡±


    Minnie glanced at Dodge and raised her eyebrow before turning back to me. Reaching her hands out, I placed my hands in hers as she pulled me in for a quick kiss on the cheek and a hug. She smelled exactly like my grammy. My heart hurt for a second before I regained my emotions.


    ¡°It¡¯s so nice to meet you, Minnie,¡± I said as I tried like hell not to think of the memories Minnie¡¯s perfume was bringing back to me.


    ¡°The pleasure is all mine, Sierra. What a beautiful name. I like it!¡±


    Giggling, I nodded my head and said, ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m kind of fond of it as well.¡±


    Minnie looked between Dodge and me before she said, ¡°Are you hungry?¡±


    Dodge slapped his hands together, causing me to jump. ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Enchiladas?¡± Minnie asked Dodge as he licked his lips.


    ¡°Yes. Oh please, yes.¡±


    Throwing her head back, Minnie turned and told us to follow her. Following her into the house, I was stunned when Dodge took my hand again. Why is he doing this? One minute I¡¯m his very good friend and the next he¡¯s holding my hand and kissing me breathless. The man was confusing as hell. He was the most confusing man in the world. Like the Dos Equis man . . . instead of being the most interesting man in the world, he was the most confusing. He should make his own beer and sell it. He¡¯d make a fortune.


    ¡°What are you so deep in thought about?¡± Dodge whispered against my ear. My stomach flipped as I felt his hot breath against my neck.


    Shaking my head, I whispered, ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Dodge tilted his head and gave me a disbelieving look. ¡°If you say so.¡±


    Following Minnie into her kitchen, I took a look around at her modest, yet beautiful home. Pictures were everywhere. Smiling, I walked up to a picture of Dodge and a very young Emily on a fishing dock. Dodge was holding up a fish he must have just caught as Emily looked at Dodge like he was the most amazing person ever. Another picture looked more recent; it was Dodge and Em standing on the beach.


    ¡°Must have had a feeling you¡¯d be stopping by. I made shrimp enchiladas this morning. I was just about to take them out the oven.


    My mouth dropped open. Shrimp. Oh fuck.


    Dodge grabbed my hand and pulled me into the kitchen and motioned for me to sit at the bar. ¡°Trust me, you will not want to miss these. I promise it¡¯s safe.¡±


    Giving Dodge a weak smile, I nodded my head and tried to push the image of the shrimp head being ripped off before my very eyes. Shuddering, I closed my eyes and thought of something else.


    Then it hit me. The most amazing smell penetrated my nostrils. Oh lord. That smells heavenly.


    Opening my eyes, Minnie was serving plates of enchiladas. ¡°That smells heavenly!¡± I said as I looked at Minnie plopping on a scoop of sour cream. Good thing I liked sour cream.


    Setting the plates in front of us, I picked up my fork and was about to take a bite when I noticed both Minnie and Dodge staring at me. ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    Smiling, Minnie motioned for me to take a bite. ¡°Um . . . I guess I¡¯m taking the first bite?¡±

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    They both nodded their heads. I¡¯m going to kill Dodge if this makes me sick and I puke all over his beloved Minnie. Taking in a bite, the taste of heaven hit the back of my mouth.


    Closing my eyes, I let out a moan. ¡°Oh. My. Goodness. I might break out into a food orgasm right this second!¡±


    Laughing, Dodge took a huge bite. ¡°Damn, Minnie. So damn good.¡±


    Minnie beamed with pride as she ate.


    After we finished eating, I helped Minnie clean up as Dodge headed outside to take a look at her car. As soon as Minnie mentioned it was having a problem starting, Dodge was out the door.


    ¡°How long have you known my Aaron?¡±


    Smiling, I said, ¡°Not too terribly long. About eight months or so? He was friends with a good friend of mine, Ryn.¡±


    Nodding her head, she smiled and winked at me. ¡°Let¡¯s sit on the back porch while Aaron takes a look at my car.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said as I grabbed my iced tea.


    Sitting down in a rocking chair, I let out a sigh. Oh how I loved being at the beach. Something about the salt air calmed me. Lifting my tea to my lips to take a drink, Minnie started talking.


    ¡°You must make him very happy. I¡¯ve never seen Aaron in love.¡±


    I instantly began choking on the tea. Minnie looked at me and smiled. ¡°Are you okay, darling?¡±


    Lifting my hand up and trying to find air to breathe, I nodded my head. ¡°Yep! Totally fine.¡±


    After coughing a few more seconds, I looked at Minnie. ¡°Um . . . I think you misread something. Dodge . . . um . . . I mean, Aaron and I are only friends. He¡¯s actually my lawyer for my divorce hearing.¡±


    Lifting her eyes in surprise, Minnie gave me a wink. ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Totally friends.¡±


    ¡°Hmm . . . that kiss he planted on you didn¡¯t look like a just a friend kiss from where I was standing.¡±


    Lifting my fingers to my lips, I smiled. They still felt as if they tingled from Dodge¡¯s lips. ¡°Yeah . . . that kiss,¡± I said as I thought back to Dodge¡¯s tongue dancing with mine. Placing my hand on my stomach, I dragged in a breath.


    ¡°Aaron has never brought a girl here. Ever,¡± Minnie said as she took a sip of her tea.


    My lips parted open as I thought of some sort of response. What was I supposed to say to that?


    ¡°Ahh . . .¡±


    Yeah, not such a great response, Sierra. Stupid!


    ¡°Sometimes there is something plain as day in front of us; all we have to do is open up our eyes . . . and our hearts . . . to see it.¡±


    Chewing on my bottom lip, I nodded. ¡°What if you¡¯re wrong about it?¡±


    Glancing at me, Minnie asked, ¡°Wrong about what?¡±


    Shrugging my shoulders, I said, ¡°I mean . . . what if what¡¯s in front of you is something you want so badly, but you¡¯re afraid to open your heart up to it because it might not be . . . reciprocated. Maybe you¡¯re not meant to have it.¡±


    ¡°The only way to find out is to go after it,¡± Minnie said with a wink. ¡°If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll never know.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± I whispered.


    Minnie let out a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯ve known that boy his entire life. I¡¯ve never seen him look at someone the way he looks at you, Sierra. It¡¯s time for you both to open your eyes.¡±


    My heart began beating harder in my chest. Did Dodge feel something for me? Something more than friendship?


    The back door opened and Dodge walked out onto the deck. ¡°Just needed your battery cables cleaned, Minnie. Car starts up like a charm.¡±


    Smiling, Minnie stood up and kissed Dodge on the check. ¡°Thank you, my boy.¡±


    Dodge¡¯s phone beeped. Pulling it out, he frowned and looked over to me. ¡°Um . . . we need to go, Minnie. Benefit ball at country club tonight. Mom wants to make sure Sierra has everything she needs.¡±


    Swallowing hard, I tried to push the look Dodge just gave me out of my mind. Was he frowning because we had to leave? I was hoping that was the case and it wasn¡¯t for another reason.


    I stood up and walked over to Minnie. ¡°Thank you so much for lunch and the amazing company this afternoon.¡±


    Minnie pulled me in for a hug and whispered in my ear. ¡°Wipe that look of fear off your face. Enjoy this evening and dress sexy.¡±


    Letting out a cough, I pulled back and looked at the sweet old lady standing in front of me. ¡°I hope to see you again, Minnie.¡±


    Giving me a wink, Minnie said, ¡°Oh, you will.¡±


    Dodge kissed Minnie good-bye on the cheek and hugged her. ¡°I¡¯ll stop back by before we leave. Love you, Minnie.¡±

 Page 39

    Placing his hand on my lower back, Dodge led me away from Minnie. For some reason I was sad. I was comfortable with her. Glancing over my shoulder, Minnie waved as I smiled back weakly. If only I believed the same thing she did.


    SITTING ON MY BED, I stared straight ahead at the door that separated Sierra¡¯s room from mine. Ever since our kiss, I hadn¡¯t been able to stop thinking about it. The way her tongued moved against mine. Then she wrapped her arms around me and deepened it and I thought I had died and gone to heaven.


    The knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts. Getting up, I opened it up to see Sierra standing there, in a robe, looking panicked.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked.


    Worrying her bottom lip, Sierra looked up and down the hallway and then placed her hands on my chest and pushed me into my room.


    Hell, yes! This is what I¡¯m talking about.


    Shutting the door, Sierra spun around and looked at me. ¡°I have a problem.¡±


    Wiggling my eyebrows, I asked, ¡°Ah, baby. And you thought I could ease it for you?¡±


    Sierra looked at me like I had lost my mind. ¡°What?¡± Shaking her head, Sierra let out a frustrated sigh. ¡°Dodge, I¡¯m serious. I can¡¯t get the zipper down on my dress. I asked your mother which dress I should wear and she said the long formal. I can¡¯t get it on! What am I going to do? I don¡¯t want to disappoint your mother. I really like her.¡±


    Laughing, I said, ¡°Just slip it over your head.¡±


    Sierra glared at me and my heart fell even more for her.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t just slip over your head, Dodge. It¡¯s not a sweater. It¡¯s a gown!¡± Grabbing me, she turned and opened the door and peeked out.


    ¡°You know, there is a door that separates our two rooms,¡± I said as Sierra looked back at me with a gaped open mouth.


    ¡°There is?¡±


    ¡°Sierra, did you not notice the door in your room?¡±


    Frowning, she shook her head. Taking her hand in mine, I led her over to the door. Grabbing the key off the holder next to the door, I unlocked and opened the door up and pushed Sierra into her room.


    ¡°Holy shit! How did I not even see this door?¡± Looking next to the door, she touched the key hanging up. ¡°So even if I lock the door, you can still come in with your key?¡±


    Smiling, I gave Sierra a wink. ¡°Yep.¡±


    Placing her hands on her hips, Sierra shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s stupid. That makes no sense at all.¡±


    Shrugging, I placed my key in my pocket and slapped my hands together. It was then Sierra noticed I was already dressed. Her eyes moved slowly over my body as she let out a low moan that I was positive she didn¡¯t mean to let out.


    ¡°You look . . . amazing,¡± Sierra said as she took two steps away from me. Adjusting the bow on my tux, I gave Sierra a wink.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to think I look fancy. You know like Iggy Iggy¡¯s song.¡±


    Sierra pulled her head back and let out a gruff laugh. ¡°Why did you say her name twice? It¡¯s just Iggy.¡±


    ¡°You do, I. GG. Y. Iggy, Iggy.¡± I made a motion with my hands like I was rapping. ¡°You feel me?¡±


    ¡°Oh. My. God. Don¡¯t ever do that again. Please,¡± Sierra said as she spun around and picked up the light-blue gown. Turning it around, she practically shoved the dress into my face.


    Rubbing my hands together, I worked on the zipper. Pulling a few times, I started to worry. ¡°Um . . . Sierra . . . I don¡¯t think this zipper is gonna budge.¡±


    ¡°No! It has to!¡± Tears began to build in Sierra¡¯s eyes. ¡°I still have to do my hair and your mother said how important this benefit ball was and I don¡¯t . . . I don¡¯t . . .¡±


    Facing away from me, Sierra cursed. ¡°Shit. It¡¯s just your mom was so sweet to me when we came home earlier and told me about the benefit and I . . . I . . . I just wanted to look nice . . . for your parents. She liked this gown and asked me to wear it.¡±


    My heart broke as I heard the hurt in Sierra¡¯s voice. I took the dress and sat down and started working on it again. ¡°Start working on your hair, Sierra. I¡¯ll work on the zipper.¡±


    Sierra spun on her heels and smiled so big it had my dick jumping and my heart dropping to the ground. Walking over to me, Sierra threw her arms around me. ¡°Thank you, Dodge! It won¡¯t take me long to do my hair.¡±


    Sierra walked into the bathroom while I worked on the stupid-ass zipper. Finally it broke loose and unzipped. ¡°I got it!¡± I yelled. Glancing down at my watch, I stood up and laid the dress on the bed. ¡°It¡¯s almost time to go, Sierra.¡±

 Page 40

    ¡°Okay! One second and then will you zip me up?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± I said not even thinking what I was opening myself up to.


    Sierra walked back into the bedroom. Her hair had been pulled up and she had a few strands of hair hanging down. ¡°Wow! That was fast.¡±


    Spinning around so I could see the back, Sierra laughed. ¡°It¡¯s a French twist. It was the first hairstyle my mother taught me when I was little. Every time I put it up like this, I think about her. Makes me feel like she¡¯s here in a way.¡±


    Smiling, I asked, ¡°How old were you when you lost your mom?¡±


    Her smile faded some as she looked away. ¡°Thirteen.¡±


    Damn it. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Sierra. I didn¡¯t mean to bring up memories.¡±


    Glancing back at me, she shook her head. ¡°No. I love talking about my mother. I¡¯ve been missing her a lot more than usual is all.¡±


    Walking over to the bed, Sierra held the dress up. ¡°Will you hold this for me?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± I said, again not thinking what would happen in the next five seconds would forever change everything between Sierra and me.


    Sierra untied the robe and pushed it open, revealing a light-blue strapless push-up bra and matching lace panties.


    I almost stumbled backwards when I saw the garter belt holding up her stockings. ¡°Motherfucker,¡± I whispered.


    Sierra glanced down and looked at herself. Glancing back at me, she gave me a Cheshire cat smile and said, ¡°You like what you see, Aaron?¡±


    My eyes locked on hers. Something about the way my name fell from her lips had my dick instantly hard as a rock. I wanted to hear her say my name while I made love to her.


    Swallowing hard, I asked, ¡°Um . . . how do you put this on?¡±


    Lifting her hands, Sierra motioned for me to put the dress over her head. ¡°Just be careful of my hair.¡±


    Moving slowly, I helped the dress over her, making sure to not mess up her hair. Sierra held the front up as she turned her back toward me. My hands began shaking as I zipped the dress up. Sierra¡¯s skin looked so damn soft. I fought like hell not to touch her. Or kiss her shoulder softly.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Sierra whispered as she walked over to the side table and grabbed something. She turned back to me and that¡¯s when I got the full view of the dress. It dipped low and showed the perfect amount of cleavage. The jewels that lined the dress caught every color in the room. My eyes roamed over her body before they were caught by the most beautiful baby blues I¡¯d ever seen.


    ¡°Sierra . . . you look . . . you look¡ª¡±


    Someone knocked on the door, causing me to jump and stop talking. ¡°Sierra, are you ready?¡± Em called from the other side of the door.


    ¡°Um . . . yes. I¡¯ll be right down.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Hurry, I¡¯m dying to see how beautiful you look!¡±


    Smiling shyly, Sierra slipped on a pair of shoes that matched the color of the light-blue gown. Walking up to me, Sierra went to talk but someone else knocked on the door.


    ¡°Sierra? Darling, did you need any help getting dressed?¡± my mother asked. Turning, I headed back to the door that separated our rooms. Taking a deep breath, I walked through it and shut it, leaving Sierra alone on the other side of the door and me fighting to regain the knowledge on how to breathe in air.


    Walking over to the dresser, I grabbed my wallet as I listened to my mother and Sierra talking as they walked by my door. Taking in a deep breath to calm my nerves, I opened the door as I saw them walking down the hall toward the stairs. ¡°Mother, will you allow me to walk downstairs with you both?¡±


    Stopping, my mother turned and smiled. Walking up to them both, I extended my arms. When I looked into Sierra¡¯s eyes, I wasn¡¯t sure how to read her. She seemed . . . lost. Maybe she was just nervous. It was obvious she wanted to make sure this evening went exactly how my mother wanted. I just wasn¡¯t sure where Sierra wanted the evening to go.


    Walking both Sierra and my mother down the staircase, my father took one look and let out a whistle. Both my mother and Sierra giggled. ¡°My goodness. I¡¯ve never seen such beautiful women. I¡¯m going to have to worry about the three of you all night,¡± my father said as he held his hand out for my mother. Taking it, my father kissed the back of her hand. Em walked up to Sierra and let out a gasp.


    ¡°Sierra! You look so beautiful.¡± Looking at me, Em asked, ¡°Doesn¡¯t she look beautiful, Aaron?¡±


    Smiling, I nodded. ¡°She¡¯s breathtaking.¡±


    Sierra¡¯s lips parted open slightly as her face blushed and she looked back at Em.

 Page 41

    ¡°Shall we?¡± my father asked as he opened the front door for everyone.


    Sierra reached down and grabbed my hand as she gave me a nervous smile as we walked out to the cars. My parents and Em were taking one limo, and Sierra and I were taking another. Sierra looked at me. ¡°When are we going to work on the questions?¡±


    Shrugging my shoulders, I said, ¡°We have all day tomorrow. Tonight it¡¯s all about celebrating my mother.¡±


    Looking away, Sierra began chewing on her lower lip. Stopping before getting into the limo, Sierra shook her head. ¡°Dodge, this is a family event. Why am I going? Why did your father want me to come?¡±


    Placing my hand on the side of Sierra¡¯s face, I rubbed my thumb across her soft skin. ¡°Sierra, my father knows we are friends. He asked me a few weeks ago. I told him how important you are to me.¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± Sierra asked.


    Shit. Shit. Shit. I didn¡¯t mean to say that just yet. I had made a promise to myself that as soon as I won this case, I was going to tell Sierra exactly how I felt about her. She was becoming much more than a friend. I could no longer deny my growing feelings.


    My parents¡¯ limo pulled off as Sierra stared at me. Shaking her head, Sierra quickly turned and slid into the limo that had pulled up. When I got in, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that Sierra was as far away from me as possible.


    Sitting at the table, I watched as Sierra spoke with some asshole lawyer from Dallas. My father had introduced them about an hour ago and the fucker hadn¡¯t left her side since. Placing my drink up to my lips, I finished it off.


    My father walked up and slapped my back as he sat down next to me. ¡°What¡¯s your flavor this evening, son?¡±


    Holding up my empty glass, I said, ¡°Scotch.¡±


    Taking in a deep breath, my father pushed it out and sighed. ¡°Aaron. I know I strong-armed you back into the firm, but are you happy there?¡±


    Lifting my glass, the waiter nodded. ¡°Surprisingly, yes, sir, I am. Plus it makes Mom happy. That¡¯s all I care about.¡±


    Letting out a gruff laugh, my father shook his head. ¡°What in the hell are you doing, Aaron?¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I was wondering when my father would start in on me. Things had been too good between us. I chalked it up to my mother¡¯s cancer treatments. I figured my father didn¡¯t want the added stress in his life, or hers. ¡°I have no idea what you are referring to, sir.¡±


    The waiter walked up and handed me another scotch. My eyes looked back over to Sierra and the fucker who kept inching closer and closer to her. Sierra was smiling, but I could tell she was ready for the conversation to end.


    Clearing his throat, my father pointed to Sierra. ¡°She is who I¡¯m referring to, Aaron. You didn¡¯t really think I would invite a client to spend the weekend with our family, did you? Or that I would have her attend a ball in honor of your mother if I didn¡¯t have a damn good reason.¡±


    Shrugging, I took another drink. ¡°I just figured you were doing it because I¡¯m friends with Sierra.¡±


    Right then, Sierra looked at me and gave me that beautiful bright smile of hers; I couldn¡¯t help but smile back.


    ¡°She has an amazing smile,¡± my father said.


    Nodding my head, I whispered, ¡°She does.¡±


    Placing his hand on my shoulder, my father gave it a slight squeeze. ¡°Aaron, look at me.¡±


    Turning, I looked at him. ¡°That girl needs someone to love her. Someone who is going to pour their heart and soul into her. I knew the moment she sat down in my office she was lost. She also reminded me of your mother. A fighter. You can see it in her eyes. Feel it in her spunkiness.¡±


    Smiling, I nodded. ¡°She is a fighter. I just want her to be happy, Dad. I want to take that asshole husband of hers down.¡±


    My father smiled. ¡°I know you do, but Aaron, there is something I need you to do for me.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Dad.¡±


    ¡°Aaron, you need to listen to your heart. I¡¯m pretty damn sure you¡¯re feeling things you¡¯ve never felt before. You need to open your eyes and see what everyone else around you sees.¡±


    Pulling my head back, I asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Glancing back over to Sierra, my father said, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you look at anyone like you do Sierra, Aaron.¡± Turning back to me, my father looked me in my eyes and winked. ¡°It¡¯s time to open your eyes, son.¡±


    Swallowing hard, I shook my head. ¡°The case.¡±


    Standing up, my father winked at me. ¡°Is in three days, and we are in Port Aransas. I¡¯ve had Chip watching Sierra since she¡¯s been here. No one is following her.¡±

 Page 42

    Turning, my father started to walk off before he stopped and looked back at me. ¡°By the way, the guest house is empty.¡±


    Widening my eyes, I watched as my father let out a chuckle and walked over to my mother. Leaning into her, he whispered into my mother¡¯s ear. Her eyes looked over to me and she smiled.


    Jesus. Did everyone know how I felt about Sierra?


    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Em walking up. Stopping in front of me, she smiled. ¡°I think you should ask Sierra to dance.¡±


    Raising an eyebrow, I shook my head. ¡°You told Dad didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Giving me a smirk, Em reached her hands out for me. Taking them, I stood up and kissed her on the cheek. ¡°Thanks, Em.¡±


    Blushing, Em nodded her head. ¡°That¡¯s what sisters are for.¡±


    Searching for Sierra, I noticed she was slowly backing away from the asshole lawyer who was now trying to back her into a corner.


    Smiling, I headed over to the DJ. It was time for me to not only open up my eyes, but Sierra¡¯s as well.


    JESUS H. CHRIST. IF THIS boring ass jerk does not shut up, I¡¯m going to stuff cheese balls in my ears.


    ¡°Sierra?¡±


    The moment I heard his voice I wanted to drop to the floor and yell out in pure happiness. Dodge saved me from death by boredom!


    ¡°Aaron,¡± I said in a purr. Bob, or Job or whatever the hell his name was, glared at Dodge.


    ¡°Sorry to interrupt, Jacob.¡±


    Jacob! Shit. Damn I was kind of close.


    ¡°Not a problem, I was just about to¡ª¡±


    Dodge turned toward me and said, ¡°Dance with me.¡±


    At that moment a slow song started playing. Nodding my head, I looked to Jacob and said, ¡°It¡¯s been nice chatting with you, but if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡±


    Dodge put his hand on my lower back and led me onto the dance floor.


    Pulling me into his arms, he moved his mouth to my ear. ¡°You are the most beautiful woman in the room.¡±


    My heart dropped as butterflies went to town in my stomach. The way Dodge was looking at me had me hoping like hell he was feeling the same way I was. ¡°What do you want, Dodge?¡±


    His mouth moved to my neck as he kissed me and whispered against my skin, ¡°Are you ready for the answer to that question, short stack?¡±


    ¡°Are you really asking me that? You interrupted a perfectly interesting conversation with a very handsome, and I might add, single lawyer.¡±


    ¡°Are you in the market for a new lawyer?¡± Dodge asked.


    Letting out a gruff laugh, I said, ¡°Well, the one I have now makes some pretty big promises. I¡¯m hoping he stays true to his word.¡±


    Dodge pulled me in closer to him as I held onto him tighter. ¡°I swear to you, Sierra, I will follow through with what I said. There isn¡¯t anything I wouldn¡¯t do for you. I¡¯ll forever pour my heart and soul out for you. I¡¯ll always be here for you.¡±


    At that moment, it hit me what song was playing. ¡°Here I Am¡± by Leona Lewis. Pulling back, I looked into Dodge¡¯s eyes. ¡°This song.¡±


    My knees went weak when Dodge smiled and said, ¡°This song.¡± Placing his hands on the sides of my face, Dodge leaned over and brushed his lips against mine as he whispered, ¡°Let me love you, Sierra.¡±


    Grabbing onto his arms, I closed my eyes. My head was spinning. What in the world is happening? Surely I had to be dreaming. Was Dodge truly saying what I was hearing? ¡°I¡¯m . . . wait . . . you¡¯re confusing me, Dodge.¡±


    Dodge placed a soft kiss against my lips. ¡°Aaron. Call me, Aaron.¡±


    Opening my eyes, I whispered, ¡°Aaron.¡±


    ¡°Let me clear it up for you, baby. I¡¯m tired of fighting my feelings.¡±


    Swallowing hard, I asked, ¡°Your feelings?¡±


    ¡°Sierra, I swear to you, I¡¯ll spend the rest of my life proving to you that I will be your everything. The last thing I want to do is hurt you.¡± Dodge closed his eyes and swallowed hard. Opening his eyes, I sucked in a breath as his eyes caught mine.


    ¡°Sierra, I¡¯m falling in love with you.¡± Letting out a soft chuckle, Dodge shook his head slowly as he pulled me closer to him. ¡°Who the fuck am I kidding? I fell in love with you, Sierra, the first time you bitched me out.¡±


    Smiling, I shook my head. ¡°You tell me this all now when we are in Port Aransas with your parents and sister? Why now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of closing my eyes to something that is so clear to me. My head cannot deny what my heart is longing for.¡±


    My heart felt as if it was about to burst from my chest. At the same time, I was scared to death. Did I dare open my heart to Dodge? Looking into his eyes, I already knew the answer.

 Page 43

    Yes.


    Pulling me close enough in for me to feel his hard on, Dodge whispered, ¡°The guest house.¡±


    Raising my eyebrow up to him, I went to ask him what in the hell he was talking about, but stopped when I heard Kate call my name.


    Dodge closed his eyes and let out a moan. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡±


    Giggling, I reached up and brushed my lips against Dodge¡¯s. ¡°Hold that thought.¡±


    Pulling me closer to him, Dodge smiled and my breath caught. ¡°I may just die if I¡¯m not buried inside you soon, Sierra.¡±


    My lips parted open as I whispered, ¡°Oh my.¡±


    Trying to get my wits about me proved harder than I thought as Kate tapped me on the shoulder.


    Turning, I smiled as Kate glanced between Dodge and me. ¡°Sierra, darling, I want you to meet a dear friend of mine, Marcy, and her daughter, Sandra.¡±


    An older woman stood next to Kate and beside her was a breathtaking brunette with eyes so green I had to pull my eyes away from hers. She had to have been at least four years younger than me. Keeping a smile on my face, I reached my hand out to Marcy first, and then Sandra. The way the daughter stared at me was as if she wanted to rip my eyes out with her fingernails.


    What the hell?


    Glancing over my shoulder, her face lit up and she smiled bigger. ¡°Aaron. It¡¯s been forever since I¡¯ve seen you. Law school, I believe. Oh no wait, there was that little trip you and I took the Bahamas. Who could forget that getaway!¡±


    My mouth dropped open as I stared at her. Who in the hell talks like that in front of her own mother?


    Oh wait. Little rich slut whore bitches do. That explains why she was piercing me with her eyes.


    Looking over at Dodge, I couldn¡¯t help but have my heart drop a little at the way he smiled and pulled Sandra in for a quick hug. ¡°Jesus, girl. It has been forever. If my memory is correct, you were the one who wanted to explore the world.¡±


    Swallowing hard, I tried to like hell not to let my imagination run wild. Dodge was smiling at her, but not like how he had been smiling at me less than two minutes ago. My eyes moved away from them to catch Brice looking at me. Taking a sip of his drink, he gave me a wink. Smiling weakly, I took a chance at looking back at Dodge and what was quickly becoming more apparent, his ex-girlfriend, Sandra.


    ¡°Biggest mistake of my life,¡± Sandra purred.


    Kate cleared her throat and began talking to me. ¡°Sierra, Marcy and I have known each other since college. Our families used to be very close. We used to go on these crazy family vacations together.¡± Marcy and Kate both chuckled.


    Clearly she was distracting me from Dodge¡¯s conversation.


    Politely nodding my head, I tried not to focus on what Dodge and Sandra were talking about. ¡°We really should go on a family vacation, Kate. Once your treatment is finished.¡±


    Kate gave Marcy a huge grin. ¡°Oh, Marcy, a celebration trip. That would be amazing!¡±


    Oh yay! Maybe they¡¯ll go to the Bahamas and Dodge and Sandra can pick up where they left off.


    ¡°Oh, Aaron, dance with me, please!¡± Sandra said as she pulled Dodge out onto the dance floor. Glancing over his shoulder, Dodge looked at me but Sandra gave him another tug, jerking him closer to her.


    Kate and Marcy kept talking about the family vacation and how wonderful it would be to get caught up as I watched Dodge take Sandra into his arms and dance with her.


    Attempting to keep a smile on my face, I turned and began looking around. My breathing was beginning to pick up as I tried to figure out how to get the hell out of this room.


    How in the hell does this happen? How does he go from telling me he loves me to dancing with an ex-girlfriend? Why did I think he would want to be with just me? The bastard was a damn fucking manwhore for Christ¡¯s sake.


    I needed air. Now.


    Quickly turning, I made my way to the closest exit. Pushing the doors open, it led to the deck that overlooked the ocean. Kicking my shoes off, I grabbed them and made my way down to the beach.


    Stopping at the water¡¯s edge, I held my dress up as I stared out into the dark ocean waters and fought to drag air into my lungs. My heart felt like it was about to be ripped from my chest.


    ¡°I¡¯ll always be here for you.¡±


    ¡°Sierra, I¡¯m falling in love with you.¡±


    Lying bastard.


    Stupid.


    Stupid.


    Stupid.


    I¡¯m so stupid.


    Maybe I¡¯m just cursed when it comes to men. If I had my cell phone I¡¯d text Ryn, Azurdee and Kacey right now and tell them I was forever giving up on men.


    Chewing on my lower lip, I let out a laugh. Who the hell am I kidding? I can¡¯t give up on men. I¡¯d never have sex again. Maybe just the occasional one-night stand. Yep. That was my new plan. Fuck all men.

 Page 44

    Pressing my lips together tightly, I fought to hold back my tears. When I could no longer hold it in, a sob escaped my lips. Glancing back over my shoulder, I closed my eyes and shook my head.


    Looking back out over the water, I knew he wouldn¡¯t be there. He found new eye-candy. How easy it was for him to just walk away from me.


    Asshole. He probably said all of that just to get into my pants. The trial would come and go within the next week. Maybe he saw this as his chance.


    Taking in a deep breath, I looked back up at the clubhouse. Shaking my head, I reached deep down inside and headed back up. I¡¯d find Brice and tell him I needed to get back to Austin and leave.


    Yep. That was my plan. As I formulated how I would get back to Austin, I headed back to the party.


    Stopping at the door, I took in a deep breath as I stepped back into the room. I instantly saw Dodge . . . with her. They weren¡¯t dancing, but the little slut had Dodge pinned deep in a conversation. They¡¯d be perfect together. Two blood-hungry lawyers.


    I hope Princess bites the shit out of the slut.


    Pushing through the crowd of people, I headed out of the room. The air hit my face as I gasped for a breath. I hadn¡¯t realized I had held my breath the entire time I made my way through the ballroom.


    A hand took a hold of my elbow and I jumped. Turning, I saw Brice standing there.


    ¡°Mr. Walker . . . I mean . . . Brice. I was feeling tired and . . . well . . . I was going to see about getting a cab.¡±


    Smiling, Brice walked me to the end of the sidewalk and lifted his arm. A limo came driving up as I practically sighed out loud in relief. ¡°Mr. Dante, my assistant, is still at the house and will let you in.¡±


    Nodding my head, I stepped into the limo. Brice leaned in and gave me a fatherly smile. ¡°Sierra, men are fools. We don¡¯t think or see things the same way women do. God cursed us with this fault.¡±


    Smiling, I fought to hold back my tears. Damn it all to hell. I hated Dodge for making me such a pansy-ass.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve come to learn that all men are pretty much the same, Brice. If a prettier girl walks into the room, they tend to follow like the dogs they are.¡±


    Brice grimaced. ¡°Ouch. Spoken like a woman scorned.¡±


    Shrugging my shoulders, I leaned closer to Brice. ¡°I¡¯m tired of playing games, Brice. I¡¯m in love with your son and I¡¯m tired of denying it. Clearly he doesn¡¯t feel the same toward me and I need to accept that. We just need to make it through my case, and I know deep down in my heart that Dodge . . . I mean Aaron . . . is going to pour everything he has into winning it. I¡¯ve never been more confident. But my coming here this weekend was a mistake.¡±


    Shaking his head, he chuckled. ¡°Someone needs to bash both your heads together. Sierra, I knew the first time I saw the two of you together you had feelings for each other. My son loves you, Sierra. Please don¡¯t give up on him.¡±


    Looking down, I whispered, ¡°The fight in me is gone, Brice. I¡¯ve tried like hell to keep it alive . . . but . . . I can¡¯t.¡±


    Brice placed his finger on my chin and brought my eyes to his. ¡°No, Sierra. That is one of the things I admire about you. I see that fight in your eyes. I saw it the moment you set foot in my office and I see it now.¡±


    A tear slowly rolled down my cheek. ¡°If only I felt it.¡±


    Brice dropped his hand and shook his head. ¡°My son is about to get his ass kicked.¡±


    Letting out a giggle, I wiped my stupid tears away. ¡°I¡¯m just tired, Brice. Tomorrow will we go over the case? I¡¯d like to head back to Austin as soon as possible.¡±


    Nodding his head, he smiled. ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll get you ready for Robert¡¯s lawyers. Don¡¯t you worry. Go rest, Sierra. I¡¯ll let Kate know you weren¡¯t feeling well.¡±


    ¡°Aaron, too?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, after I kick his ass.¡±


    Laughing at the sound of Brice swearing, I slid further into the limo as Brice told the driver where to go. By the time he was pulling from the country club, tears were streaming down my face.


    I hate you, Dodge. I hate you for making me feel weak.


    SANDRA FINALLY GOT THE HINT I was not interested in striking up anything from our past. I¡¯d been frantically looking for Sierra for the past twenty minutes. I had tried to keep my eyes on Sierra while Sandra kept her death grip on me while dancing. I¡¯d seen her go out on the deck, and then I lost her.


    Em was walking by and I quickly grabbed her by the arm. ¡°Hey, big bro. What in the hell where you doing with Sandra earlier? Where is Sierra?¡±


    Looking around the room, I said, ¡°What do you mean what was I doing with Sandra earlier? Listen, I don¡¯t know where Sierra is and I really need to find her. The last I saw her was before I danced with Sandra and that was almost an hour ago. Where in the hell did she go?¡±

 Page 45

    Em¡¯s mouth dropped open. ¡°Are you for real right now, Aaron?¡±


    My eyes dropped back to Em. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Rolling her eyes, Em looked away and let out a sarcastic laugh. Looking back at me she said, ¡°Okay, let me lay this out for you, big brother. You were dancing pretty close with Sierra right before the evil Sandra showed up, right? It looked like you were both in a pretty deep conversation. From where I was standing, things were heating up with y¡¯all. Am I right?¡±


    Pulling my head back, I glared at Em. ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you about that, Em. That¡¯s just fucked up.¡±


    Letting out a frustrated sigh, Em said, ¡°Whatever, Aaron. It was obvious. You were making a move on Sierra and then guess what happened?¡±


    Waiting for her to answer, I motioned for her to continue. Rolling her eyes again, Em said, ¡°Oh my gosh, are all men just stupid? I mean, are all of you so damn blind?¡±


    ¡°Em! What happened? Where is Sierra?¡±


    Placing her hands on her hips, Em slowly shook her head. ¡°You made a move on the one and only girl I¡¯ve ever seen you look at like she was your next breath. Then you walked away from her and spent the next twenty minutes or so talking to an ex-girlfriend who couldn¡¯t seem to keep her hands off of you. You just left her, Aaron. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Sierra left.¡±


    My heart dropped to my stomach. ¡°It wasn¡¯t anything; I kept trying to get away from¡ª¡±


    Holding her hand up, Em said, ¡°Stop! The point is Aaron, you should have never have walked away from her in the first place. Asshole.¡±


    Em spun around and stomped off. What the fuck just happened? Did my baby sister really just call me an asshole?


    ¡°Women,¡± my father said from behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, my father stood there holding a scotch. He went to take a drink and then looked at me and handed it to me.


    ¡°She left,¡± my father said, barely above a whisper.


    Placing the glass up to my lips, I finished it in one gulp. ¡°What? Who?¡±


    My father smiled at someone and lifted his hand up and gave them a head nod. ¡°Sierra. She was pretty upset. Crying as a matter of fact.¡±


    My knees wobbled as I tried like hell not to let them buckle. ¡°W-what? Why?¡±


    Slowly turning to look at me, my father gave me a look that had me feeling sick to my stomach. ¡°I believe your sister already laid it out for you, son.¡±


    Pushing my hands through my hair, I let out a frustrated moan. ¡°What the hell? I don¡¯t understand, I just danced with Sandra and before that Sierra and I . . . we . . .¡±


    Fucking hell. I had told Sierra I would never leave her. That I wanted to be with her. I told her I loved her and then I walked away with another woman. Placing my hands on my knees, I dragged in one breath after another.


    Biggest. Dick. Ever.


    Standing back up, I looked at my father. ¡°Dad, I didn¡¯t mean to make her upset.¡±


    Fuck. I was going to ruin everything. This is the whole fucking reason I wanted to wait until after the trial before staring a relationship with Sierra. Motherfucker!


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it fixed, Dad. Robert¡¯s not going to win. I¡¯ll have Sierra ready and what is happening between us won¡¯t affect the case.¡±


    My father¡¯s face dropped. Looking away, he closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. ¡°Is that why you were pushing her away, Aaron?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked with an even more confused look on my face. I needed to get to Sierra. Explain to her what happened. I would just tell her we needed to wait until after the case and then we could focus on us one hundred percent. I just prayed like hell she wouldn¡¯t walk away from me for good.


    My father inhaled a deep breath and turned to me. ¡°I know things have been . . . strained . . . between us the last few years. I shouldn¡¯t have brought you back in the firm on the conditions I did and I know that. That being said, I¡¯ve never been so happy having you back with the family and the same goes for your mother. I know I¡¯ve never told you this, but I¡¯m proud of you, son. I¡¯m sorry I treated you like a child and forced your hand back into the firm.¡±


    Shaking my head, I held up my hand. ¡°Dad, no. I really am glad I¡¯m back. I¡¯m hell-bent on proving to you that I can win this case.¡±


    ¡°Aaron, listen to me, son.¡±


    Closing my mouth, I stood there staring at my father. ¡°Sorry, sir.¡±


    Nodding, he said, ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to prove to me, Aaron and I¡¯m so sorry I put the kind of pressure on you that I have. Ever since you¡¯re mother got sick, I¡¯ve longed to get back the family that we used to have. I wanted to be the best father and husband I could be. Don¡¯t use me or this case to push Sierra away. I don¡¯t think Sierra is the kind of girl who is going to take being pushed away too many times.¡±

 Page 46

    Swallowing hard, I shook my head. ¡°Dad, I¡¯ve never felt like this about anyone before. I¡¯m scared shitless I¡¯m going to do something wrong.¡±


    A hand landed on my arm as I turned to see my mother standing there. ¡°Aaron, don¡¯t be scared. Love shouldn¡¯t scare you. It should excite you.¡±


    Taking my mother¡¯s hand in mine, I looked into her blue eyes as she smiled at me. I¡¯d changed my whole life because of the woman standing in front of me. There wasn¡¯t anything I wouldn¡¯t do to make my mother happy. I realized I felt the same exact way about Sierra. I pulled her hand up to my lips and kissed it. ¡°Mom.¡±


    ¡°Now, I feel like a part of this is my fault because I brought Sandra over to you both.¡±


    Shaking my head, I went to talk but was stopped by my mother. ¡°Why don¡¯t you head on home, Aaron. Your father and I are going to stay a bit longer. At least until most of the guests have left.¡±


    Glancing over to my father, I asked, ¡°When did she leave?¡±


    Lifting his eyebrows, he nodded. ¡°Almost an hour ago. Headed back to the house. Said she was tired.¡±


    Giving my father a head nod, I kissed my mother on the cheek and then held out my hand for my father. ¡°I¡¯m going to go make it right.¡±


    Giving me a wink, my father said, ¡°I know you will.¡±


    Making my way out of the ballroom, I headed outside and flagged over one of the limos. Glancing at my watch, I silently said a prayer I hadn¡¯t fucked things up with Sierra.


    Sitting on the edge of my bed, I took in a deep breath as I pushed my hand through my hair. Sierra¡¯s bedroom door was locked. Smiling, I jumped up and made my way over to the door that separated me from the only girl I ever felt this way for. I thought I was falling for Ryn all those months ago, but when she had picked Tristan over me, I hadn¡¯t felt devastated. The idea of never holding Sierra in my arms or kissing her lips every morning had me feeling sick to my stomach and scared to death.


    I loved her.


    I wanted no one but her.


    Reaching into my pocket, I took the key out. Pushing in the key, I slowly turned it as I pushed the door open. Immediately hearing her breathing, my heart slammed against my chest. Reaching up, I loosened my bowtie and pulled it off. Walking quietly into the bedroom, I stopped and stood there, watching her sleep. My heart was pumping so fast and hard it felt like I had just run a race. Everything about this woman drove me crazy. Her beautiful blue eyes. Her feisty temper. The fact that I knew she was scared as hell but refused to let anyone see it.


    Closing my eyes, I prayed to God that if he gave me this precious gift of her love, I would spend the rest of my life loving her and protecting her with every ounce of my being.


    Sierra let out a soft moan and my dick jumped in my pants. Her hand was tucked up under her chin and I don¡¯t think I had ever seen anyone so beautiful in my entire life. I walked over and dropped to my knees. Smiling, I lifted my hand and pushed a piece of hair away from her face. As much as I wanted to make love to her, I longed to hold her in my arms. She needed to know she had changed me in so many ways.


    Sierra moved slightly and whispered, ¡°Aaron.¡±


    Smiling, I took in the sound of my name off her lips. I wanted to hear it every morning when I woke up and every night as I laid next to her. Leaning in closer to her, I lightly touched my lips to hers. Whispering against them, I said her name. ¡°Sierra.¡±


    Opening her eyes, Sierra smiled, and then she frowned. ¡°Why are you waking me up, asshole? Please leave my room.¡±


    It felt as if someone had stuck a knife in my chest. I had to remember she was upset about Sandra and she had every right to be pissed.


    ¡°You disappeared on me,¡± I whispered.


    Stretching, Sierra rolled her eyes and rolled over to her back. ¡°Well ya know, it was kind of hard standing there watching you hold your ex-lover in your arms right after you professed your feelings for me, Dodge. It¡¯s a mood killer, if you know what I mean. Why don¡¯t you head on back to the party? I¡¯m sure you and Sandy have a lot to catch up on.¡±


    Sierra rolled over, facing her back to me. Shaking my head, my eyes caught her bag sitting at the end of the bed. Packed.


    ¡°Are you going somewhere?¡± I asked.


    Letting out a frustrated sigh, Sierra turned back to me. Her eyes moved across my face. I could see the sadness in them and I hated knowing I was the cause of that.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going home after we prep for the trial. I figured it wouldn¡¯t take long for you and your father to go over the possible questions Robert¡¯s attorney might ask.¡±

 Page 47

    ¡°I see,¡± I said, barely above a whisper. Clearing my throat, I let a smile play across my face.


    Sierra¡¯s lips parted as she narrowed her eyes. ¡°Are you happy about that?¡±


    Shaking my head. ¡°No. I just realized something.¡±


    ¡°That you¡¯re a dick?¡±


    Chuckling, I reached over and took Sierra¡¯s hand. ¡°I can¡¯t argue with you on that one, but that¡¯s not what I meant. I realized that I¡¯ll never have to go back to the day before.¡±


    Sierra pinched her brows together. ¡°Day before what?¡±


    Standing, I leaned over and captured Sierra¡¯s lips with mine and kissed her softly. Pulling back slightly, I spoke against her lips. ¡°You.¡±


    Sierra¡¯s eyes lit up as she smiled against my lips. ¡°I¡¯m mad at you, Dodge. You can¡¯t say stuff like that when I¡¯m mad at you.¡±


    Jetting out my lip, I pleaded, ¡°Please don¡¯t be mad at me.¡±


    Sierra¡¯s smile grew. ¡°Well, you are here with me and not with her.¡±


    Nodding my head, I raised my eyebrows. ¡°I am here with you, so that has to give me some brownie points.¡±


    Sierra pressed her lips together. ¡°Dodge, I don¡¯t think my heart can take being broken again. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re going to break my heart and I¡¯ve never felt like this before about anyone. Not even with Robert. I loved him, but with you . . . with you it feels magical. With you it feels like I¡¯m complete and if you were to ever hurt me I think it would destroy my heart and I would never recover from that.¡±


    Sierra sat up as I dropped back down to my knees. ¡°I was ready to give up, Dodge. To me, my happily ever after was never going to happen.¡±


    My heart dropped as I heard the sadness in Sierra¡¯s voice. There was no waiting for the case to be over. There was no more pushing her away. There was only right now.


    Standing up, I pulled Sierra up with me and held her in my arms. ¡°I want to be your happily ever after, Sierra.¡±


    A tear escaped from Sierra¡¯s beautiful eyes as she whispered, ¡°Do you promise?¡±


    Placing my finger on her chin, I lifted her lips to mine and kissed her. Pouring as much love into the kiss as I could.


    Pulling my lips back, I whispered softly, ¡°I promise.¡±


    Sierra¡¯s eyes lit up and my heart stopped. ¡°Tomorrow morning when I wake up, I want that promise to be true, Dodge.¡±


    Wrapping her arms around me, Sierra pressed her lips against mine and kissed me like I was the very breath she needed to breathe. ¡°Make love to me, Dodge,¡± Sierra spoke between kisses.


    Letting out a moan, I reached for the bottom of her nightgown and lifted it over her head.


    ¡°Jesus,¡± I whispered as I took in her beautiful body. She wasn¡¯t wearing a bra and all I could see were her perfect breasts. Lifting them in my hands, I dropped my head and took a nipple into my mouth. Sierra¡¯s hands moved to my hair where she grabbed a handful and let out soft low moan.


    Dropping to my knees, I began kissing her stomach as Sierra dropped her head back and began touching her breasts. Fuck. I¡¯m not going to last one minute inside of her.


    Moving my lips farther down her body, I kissed along the lace edge of her boy short panties. Jesus, this woman had sexy dripping off every inch of her body. Lifting my finger up, I traced along the edge of her panties as Sierra whimpered with need.


    ¡°Dodge,¡± she whispered. Standing up quickly, Sierra snapped her head up and looked at me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Licking my lips, I thought about making love to the only woman I had ever loved. Placing my hand behind her neck, I pulled her to me. ¡°Aaron. I want you to call me Aaron . . . not Dodge. I want the woman I love to say my name when I make love to her for the first time. I changed my name to Dodge when I felt a part of me was missing. You¡¯ve changed that, Sierra. You¡¯ve made me whole again.¡±


    Tears swam in Sierra¡¯s eyes as she closed her eyes and whispered, ¡°Aaron.¡± Slamming my lips to hers, our kiss became frantic. Gone was the moment of moving slowly. Sierra¡¯s hands fumbled to get my shirt unbuttoned as our lips never stopped moving. Ripping my shirt open, Sierra pushed the shirt off my shoulders as she ran her hands over my chest and abs.


    Jesus Christ. I was going to come the moment she touched me. Moving her hands to my pants, they were pushed down before I could even get my thoughts together. I looked down at Sierra on her knees as she licked her lips and pulled my boxer briefs down painfully slowly. When my dick sprang free, Sierra let out a moan and took me in her hands.


    ¡°Fucking hell, Sierra.¡±

 Page 48

    Looking down at her, I watched as she admired me. Before I knew it she had me in her mouth and I began to see stars. Hissing through my teeth, I said, ¡°Hell yeah, baby.¡±


    Jesus . . . don¡¯t come. Be a man. Oh fuck, that feels amazing. I can¡¯t even imagine what Sierra was going to feel like. Taste like. Heaven. It would be fucking heaven.


    Reaching down, I pulled her up quickly as Sierra licked her lips and smiled at me. Bringing her lips to mine, I kissed her as she pushed her hands through my hair again. Pulling back, I pushed her down onto the bed and dropped to my knees. Sierra gave me the sexiest smile I¡¯d ever seen as she touched her body.


    ¡°It¡¯s my turn to taste you, baby.¡±


    Moaning, Sierra fell back onto the bed. Pulling her toward me, I took in the sight of her beautiful pussy. It was going to be mine soon. No one would ever touch her again.


    She. Was. Mine.


    Licking along her lips, Sierra slammed her hands over her mouth and moaned. My eyes felt like they were about to roll into the back of my head, she tasted so damn good. I needed more.


    Pulling her closer, I dipped my tongue into her as Sierra began moving her hips. Needing to hear her call out my name, I began sucking and licking faster.


    Sierra began thrashing her head back and forth as her body began to tremble. ¡°Aaron . . . oh lord almighty, I¡¯m going to die!¡±


    Smiling, I kept up my pace as I slipped my fingers inside of her. Sierra fell apart as she clamped down around my fingers and moaned my name from her sweet lips.


    When her body finally relaxed, I picked her up and moved her into my bedroom. I wanted her in my bed, not the guestroom bed. If I was going to make love to her, I wanted her wrapped up in my arms all night.


    Wrapping her arms around me, Sierra whispered, ¡°Please tell me I¡¯m not dreaming.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not dreaming, baby.¡±


    Coming to a stop, I looked at Sierra and smiled. ¡°Every time I make love to you, I want you to use my real name, Sierra. It¡¯s important to me.¡±


    Chewing on her lower lip, Sierra nodded her head and said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Laying her down on the bed, I hovered over her body as I began kissing her neck. ¡°I¡¯ve never made love to anyone, Sierra.¡±


    Giggling, Sierra said, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re not a virgin, Dodge.¡±


    Looking at her, I narrowed my eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve fucked women. I¡¯ve never made love to someone who had my heart forever and always. You¡¯re different, Sierra. I¡¯ve never felt this way before. I¡¯ve never had the desire to be one with anyone like I do with you. I want to bury myself so deep inside you that a part of me stays with you forever. Don¡¯t call me Dodge when I¡¯m with you like this. Please.¡±


    Sierra¡¯s eyes lit up as her lips parted open. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t call you Dodge. No one has ever said anything like that before to me,¡± Sierra whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek. Leaning over, I kissed her tear away. My lips moved down to her neck and around to her ear.


    ¡°I¡¯m falling in love with you, Sierra,¡± I whispered into her ear as she let out a small sob and wrapped her arms around me.


    ¡°You scare me, Aaron.¡±


    Spreading her legs open with my knee, I pushed my tip against her pussy. ¡°No, baby, let me love you.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sierra said as she lifted her hips to me. ¡°Take me, Aaron. Please take me.¡±


    My lips moved across her chin to her mouth. ¡°Condom,¡± I whispered.


    Wrapping her legs around me, Sierra shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m on the pill.¡±


    Pulling my head back, my eyes grew wider. ¡°Sierra, I¡¯ve never had sex without a condom.¡±


    ¡°Never?¡± she asked.


    Shaking my head, I said, ¡°No never.¡±


    ¡°Tested?¡± she asked as she moved her fingers up and down my arm, sending a fiery storm of tingles up and down my arm.


    ¡°Yes. Right after I started back at the law firm.¡±


    Sierra¡¯s eyes burned with desire. I knew I was about to do the one thing I swore to my parents I would never do.


    MY HEART WAS POUNDING IN my ears. My stomach danced with a million butterflies and Dodge . . . shit . . . I mean Aaron, hadn¡¯t slept with anyone in months. My life couldn¡¯t get any better than it was at that very moment.


    I wanted to feel him. All of him, with nothing between us as we made love for the first time. I¡¯d never asked a man to do that before. Hell Robert wore a condom the first two years of our marriage.


    ¡°D¡ªAaron, I¡¯ve always had protected sex, except with Robert. I¡¯ve been tested three times since we separated and I¡¯m clean. It¡¯s just . . . with you . . . I want to feel you. All of you.¡±

 Page 49

    Dodge¡¯s dick twitched at my entrance as he let out a moan. ¡°Fucking hell, Sierra. I think I just came.¡±


    Laughing, I closed my eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯ll understand if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    His lips were on mine as he slowly began to push further into me. My eyes sprung open as we stared at each other. I could see it in his eyes. In the smile he wore on his face.


    Dodge loved me. There wasn¡¯t anything he would do to hurt me. ¡°Sierra, I want the first time we make love to be perfect for you and if you¡¯re okay with this, I¡¯m more than okay with it. I want to feel every single thing. Memorize every movement so when I¡¯m eighty and can¡¯t move my hips anymore, I¡¯ll have the memory of the first time we made love.¡±


    Laughing, I wrapped my legs around him tighter and pulled him to me. ¡°Aaron,¡± I whispered as his eyes lit up and he pushed in further. Both of us letting out a soft moan as Dodge slowly pulled out and pushed back in. It didn¡¯t take long for my desire to coat his dick. Dodge pushed all the way into me as we both sucked in a breath.


    Not moving, Dodge stayed buried deep inside of me. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked as I lifted my neck while Dodge covered it with gentle kisses.


    ¡°Shh . . . I¡¯m in fucking heaven right now. I want to enjoy this moment.¡±


    Grinning like a fool, I wrapped my arms around him tighter. ¡°I love you, Aaron.¡±


    Dodge¡¯s body trembled. ¡°Oh God . . . my life has never felt so complete,¡± Dodge said as he slowly began to move in and out of my body. It didn¡¯t take long for us to find a rhythm as we moved together.


    Dodge rolled over and let me take control for a bit as I came for the second time. My orgasm raced through my body as I rode him. His eyes never left mine as I finally collapsed on top of him. Gently rolling me over, Dodge didn¡¯t even pull out of me; he stayed inside me the entire time as he made love to me . . . painfully slow at first.


    ¡°Sierra. Oh God, baby. I¡¯m going to come.¡±


    Dodge¡¯s eyes pierced mine as I felt his dick grow inside me. The moment was amazing. One I¡¯d never experienced before. ¡°Oh my . . . oh God . . . Aaron, I¡¯m . . .¡±


    Dodge pulled out and slammed back into me. Oh hell. I was going to come again. ¡°Come with me, Sierra. Baby, I need to come now.¡±


    And just like that, I arched my back and had one of the most amazing orgasms in my life as Dodge poured himself inside me. For one brief moment, I wished I hadn¡¯t been on the pill and we had just made a child together. Fighting back the thought, I held him closer to me as I whispered his name.


    ¡°Aaron . . . I¡¯ve fallen in love with you so fast, it scares me.¡±


    Dodge pulled back and looked into my eyes. The moment I saw the tears building in his eyes, I knew things would never be the same. ¡°I¡¯m never going to forget this moment. Ever.¡±


    Smiling, I reached up and wiped his tear away. ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to wake me up in the middle of the night to remind me how amazing this feels.¡±


    Rubbing his nose against mine, Dodge nodded his head and whispered, ¡°Deal.¡±


    The moment he pulled out of me, I missed his warmth. ¡°Let me get a warm cloth to clean you up. Stay here.¡±


    Oh my. I¡¯m not used to a man wanting to take care of me after we just had sex.


    Dodge walked back into the room and smiled at me as my eyes roamed his entire body. Good lord, he was one fine ass man. His muscles were perfectly toned and his abs . . . my inner goddess yelled out for me to start licking them.


    Down girl. You just shared one of the most amazing moments of your life . . . you have plenty of time to lick his abs.


    Stretching, I felt completely and utterly satisfied like never before. Dodge spread my legs apart as he began cleaning between my legs. Oh hell. Think of something else, Sierra.


    It doesn¡¯t feel heavenly. It doesn¡¯t feel heavenly. Motherfucker . . . it feels heavenly.


    Keep it in, Sierra. Just keep it all in. Biting down hard on my lip, I watched as Dodge took care of me. Standing back up, he winked at me and my heart melted. Just a wink and I was lost.


    I¡¯m so screwed.


    Walking back into the room, Dodge motioned for me to move over. I quickly moved and got under the covers as Dodge slid in next me. Pulling me up against him, Dodge wrapped his arms and legs around me tightly has he held onto me for dear life.


    Letting out a chuckle, I said, ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere, you know.¡±


    Kissing the back of my head, Dodge laughed. ¡°I hope not. When I was little my mother told me once if I found something I truly loved I needed to hold onto it with my life. That¡¯s what I¡¯m doing.¡±

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    Oh. My. And there it went. My entire world was just given to Aaron Matthew Walker.


    Closing my eyes, I prayed to God that he didn¡¯t destroy my heart in the process.


    Slowly opening my eyes, I squinted to keep the blinding sun away. Rolling over, my heart sunk when I saw the empty spot next to me. Then something under the covers moved. Lifting the covers, I laughed when I saw Princess stretching.


    ¡°Hey you!¡± I said as Princess looked at me and started moving out from under the covers. Covering my face in wet kisses, Princess flopped down next to me. That¡¯s when I noticed the note tied around her collar. Untying it, I opened it up to find a note from Aaron.


    Clearing my throat, I read the note out loud to the dog lying next to me. ¡°Good morning, Princess.¡± Glancing at the dog, I asked, ¡°Is he talking to you . . . or to me?¡±


    Princess barked as I laughed. Continuing to read the note out loud, Princess began biting the sheet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t here when you woke up. You looked so beautiful sleeping that I didn¡¯t dare disturb you.¡±


    Looking at Princess, I shook my head. ¡°Who is this version of your daddy, Princess?¡±


    Letting out a little bark, the pup was just as lost as I was.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep reading.¡± Looking back at the note, I went on. ¡°I¡¯m heading out for a quick run and then will bring you back some breakfast. Love you, baby.¡±


    Dropping the note to my side, I let out a sigh as I pulled my knees to my chest. Attempting to hold in the childlike giggling fit that was building, I closed my eyes and thought back to last night. Aaron had woke me up around four in the morning and made love to me again. It was slow and beautiful. I¡¯d never experienced such bliss. Lifting my fingertips to my lips, I gasped at how swollen they were. Dropping my head back against the headboard, I let it go and giggled. Princess jumped on me as I picked her up and snuggled her.


    Princess went crazy as she gave me sweet little puppy kisses. Laughing, I said, ¡°Why you woke up just a happy little thing this morning didn¡¯t you, sweetheart.¡±


    ¡°She isn¡¯t the only who woke up happy this morning.¡±


    The sound of his voice caused my heart to drop to my stomach. Peeking around the extra spunky golden retriever, I saw the man of my dreams standing there. Soaking wet in sweat while wearing a drop-dead gorgeous smile on his face. I could still feel the effects of his five o¡¯clock shadow all over my body. Swallowing hard, I opened my mouth to say something, but the only thing that came out was a moan.


    Aaron walked up to the side of the bed and gazed upon me. My heartbeat had increased significantly as I looked up at him. ¡°I want to take you in my arms but I¡¯m sweaty.¡±


    Pushing Princess off of me, I hopped up on the bed and walked over to him. His eyes moved across my body as he took me in. I loved how he looked at me like I was his everything. Robert never looked at me this way. Since I was standing on the bed, I was looking down at Aaron as he looked up at me. ¡°I think I¡¯ll take my chances.¡±


    Lifting his T-shirt over his head, Aaron dropped it to the floor and smiled at me. Wrapping my arms around his neck, Aaron took a step away from the bed as I wrapped my legs around him.


    ¡°Take a shower with me,¡± he whispered against my lips.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask me twice,¡± I purred back.


    Walking me into the bathroom, Aaron reached in and turned the shower on. Slowly setting me down, he pushed my hair back and then took a handful and pulled my head back, exposing my neck to him. ¡°Everyone is gone. It¡¯s playtime, Sierra.¡±


    Holy hell. Those six words had my insides doing all kinds of crazy things. ¡°Playtime? What kind of playtime?¡±


    Aaron pushed his running shorts off and revealed his hard dick. Feeling my insides go crazy, I wanted more than anything for him to get a little rough with me. The slow and romantic lovemaking was amazing, but I wanted to see the other side of Aaron. The side that would have me screaming out in pure pleasure.


    Walking into the shower, Aaron took my hands and led me in. Pushing me against the cold shower wall, I sucked in a breath. Aaron smashed his lips to mine and kissed me until our breaths became one. Pulling away from me, Aaron placed his hand on the side of my face and smiled.


    Cue my libido. It¡¯s officially kicked into overdrive.


    ¡°Sierra, I¡¯m going to fuck you. Hard.¡±


    Swallowing hard, I whispered, ¡°Oh. I¡¯m totally good with that.¡±


    My mind was swirling with his words. Sierra, I¡¯m going to fuck you. Hard.


    Aaron¡¯s lips were moving across my neck as I dropped my head back and moaned. Dear God. I¡¯ve died and gone to heaven.

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    Smiling, Aaron slammed into me, causing me to scream out. ¡°Do you like that, baby?¡±


    Nodding my head, I said, ¡°More.¡±


    I¡¯d never had such passionate sex before. This was beyond anything I had ever dreamed of. Aaron pulled out and pushed back into me. Fast and hard. I could feel my orgasm building.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I cried out as Aaron did just that. This was a different side to him. I loved the sweet and slow love-making guy. But this side of Aaron, this fast and rough fucking. Oh yes. A girl could get used to this. Very very used to this.


    Aaron continued to pound into me as my orgasm built. ¡°Fucking hell, Sierra. Baby, I¡¯m so close.¡±


    Screaming out his name, I fell apart as I felt Aaron¡¯s dick grow bigger inside of me. Stopping quickly, he pulled out of me as I let out a whimper. Setting me down, he growled, ¡°Turn around. I want to fuck you from behind.¡±


    Gasping for air, I turned quickly as he did just that. The feel of the hot water, Aaron¡¯s dick pounding into me, and the feel of his hand pulling at my nipple had me screaming out his name in pure fucking pleasure.


    A few minutes later, we were both pulling air into our lungs as the hot water poured over us while Aaron¡¯s dick twitched inside of me. ¡°Please tell me you weren¡¯t lying when you said no one was home.¡±


    Letting out a laugh, Aaron kissed my lips quickly. ¡°I promise, they¡¯re all gone.¡±


    Aaron pulled out of me as I let out a whimper. I loved the feeling of him inside me. It was almost becoming addictive.


    Grabbing the soap and a washcloth, Aaron began cleaning my entire body while Princess barked outside the shower. ¡°I think she¡¯s jealous,¡± Aaron said as he cupped my face with his hands. ¡°You realize she¡¯s gonna want her mommy around more often.¡±


    Lifting my eyebrows, I said, ¡°You mean I can take her home with me sometimes?¡±


    Aaron¡¯s face fell and then he laughed his ass off. ¡°You¡¯re not taking my dog from me.¡±


    ¡°I bought her!¡±


    ¡°For me!¡±


    Shrugging my shoulders, I gave him a sexy smile. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to work out visitation for me. Princess and I have grown close after our trip down here and then this morning¡¯s bonding time.¡±


    Aaron¡¯s face lit up. ¡°You could move in with me.¡±


    My mouth dropped open. ¡°Um . . . don¡¯t you think that is moving a tad bit too fast, Mr. Walker?¡±


    Pulling me to him, Aaron nestled his face into my neck as I felt his dick growing hard again. ¡°Hmm . . . I¡¯m sure we can work something out, Ms. Jackson.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t lost on me that Aaron didn¡¯t call me Mrs. A few more days. A few more days and I¡¯d be forever free from Robert and could start my life over. ¡°I like the sound of that.¡±


    Aaron turned off the shower, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my body. Pulling me to him, he said, ¡°I want to take you somewhere today.¡±


    Giving him a shy smile, I nodded my head. ¡°Okay. What about the questions for the hearing?¡±


    ¡°Tonight, my father has it planned to go over the questions. Today, you belong to me.¡±


    Chewing on my bottom lip, I said, ¡°I hope I belong to you all the time, not just today.¡±


    Pushing my hair back, Aaron¡¯s eyes roamed across my face. ¡°You do, princess.¡±


    Holding my index finger up, I chuckled, ¡°There is one small problem we need to take care of first.¡±


    Aaron wiggled his eyebrows. ¡°My hard dick? Which by the way, I would not put in the category of small.¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I shook my head as I slapped Aaron on the chest. ¡°No. Not your hard dick, and no, Mr. Walker, it is indeed not small.¡±


    ¡°The problem then?¡± Aaron asked as he dropped his towel and gave me a naughty smile.


    Trying not to let his amazing body take over all my thoughts, I tilted my head and gave him a slight smile. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure I¡¯m down with the dog and I sharing names.¡±


    CLOUD NINE. I SERIOUSLY FELT as if I was floating around on cloud nine. After making love to Sierra, we got dressed and headed downstairs. Feeding both my girls, I put Princess in her crate after a quick walk on the beach and then made a phone call. Today was going to be about Sierra and nothing else. No ex-husband, no hearing, no stress. Just us.


    As we drove to the bay side of the island, Sierra talked my ear off. Sex brought out the chatty side to Sierra. My face was beginning to hurt from smiling so much.


    ¡°So, where are we going exactly?¡± Sierra asked as she ran her thumb across my skin, causing a tingling sensation each time.

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    ¡°It¡¯s a surprise,¡± I said as I squeezed her hand.


    Taking a quick peek at Sierra, she smiled. I knew her fucker of an ex-husband never did shit for her. My plan was to shower her with love and attention every chance I got.


    Turning down the private road, I stopped at the security station.


    ¡°Aaron Walker,¡± I said as he typed in my name.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Walker, welcome back. Enjoy your day on the water.¡±


    Nodding, I gave him a quick smile.


    ¡°Day on the water? Are we going out on the bay?¡± I could hear the excitement laced in Sierra¡¯s words.


    Laughing, I shook my head. ¡°You¡¯ll see, baby.¡±


    Two minutes later, I was pulling into the parking lot of the yacht club. My father had taught Em and I how to sail the moment we learned to walk. It was one of my greatest passions and one I didn¡¯t get to play with very often.


    Opening Sierra¡¯s door, I held my hand out and helped her out of my truck. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I led her toward the docks. ¡°We¡¯re going sailing?¡± she asked as she gave me the biggest smile. My heart was soaring and I prayed liked hell Sierra¡¯s was too.


    ¡°Yep,¡± I said as I tried to think about anything other than making love to Sierra on the water. I¡¯d never brought anyone other than a few of my friends out on our boat. Sandy had begged me to take her out on the boat, and a few times I almost did, but stopped myself. The water was my escape. I loved it and I knew I wanted to share that with the person I saw my future with. It never felt right with Sandy.


    Sierra was different. I wanted more than anything to experience this moment with her. And hopefully check off one of the items on her sex bucket list.


    ¡°How long have you been sailing?¡± Sierra asked as we walked up to the locked gate. Entering in the access code, I pushed the gate open and gave her wink.


    ¡°Why? You nervous?¡± I asked.


    Shrugging her shoulders, Sierra looked straight down the dock. ¡°I¡¯ve never been on a sailboat before, so I just want to make sure I¡¯m not handing my life over to you.¡±


    Laughing, I shook my head. ¡°I would never put you in danger.¡±


    ¡°Awe . . . so someone else will be operating the boat?¡±


    Stopping, I pulled Sierra into me and cupped her face as I brought my lips to hers. ¡°I want to kiss you.¡±


    Licking her lips, Sierra said, ¡°Then kiss me.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Sierra. I want to kiss you under the moonlight in a parking lot. I want to kiss you on a dance floor, in the bed of my truck, in my kitchen, in the middle of a restaurant.¡± Running my thumb across her soft skin, I closed my eyes and whispered, ¡°Most of all I want to kiss you out on the water. Just you and me.¡±


    Opening my eyes, I gazed into Sierra¡¯s baby blues. Swallowing hard, Sierra took a hold of my arms and whispered, ¡°I like the sound of all of that. But . . . I¡¯m waiting for that kiss.¡±


    Slamming my lips to Sierra¡¯s, she wrapped her arms around me as we got lost in our kiss. Pulling back slowly, Sierra looked into my eyes and smiled. ¡°Do you know how pissed I¡¯m going to be if I wake up and this is all just a dream?¡±


    Shaking my head, I grabbed a handful of Sierra¡¯s hair and pulled her head back, exposing her neck to me. I ran my tongue along her neck and over to ear as she let out a soft whimper. ¡°The moment I sink my dick deep inside you again, you will have no doubt how wide awake you are.¡±


    ¡°Aaron,¡± Sierra whispered from her lips as I smiled against her skin. I loved hearing my name from her lips.


    Breaking our contact, I took a few steps back as Sierra seemed to wobble before getting her balance. ¡°You ready to get your sea legs on, baby?¡±


    Giving me a smile that about knocked me over, Sierra nodded and said, ¡°Never been more ready.¡±


    As we walked down the dock, I watched as Sierra¡¯s eyes grew bigger and bigger. I knew she was wondering which one was ours. My father had bought this boat about six years ago and Em and I were the only ones to take it out anymore.


    ¡°Aaron!¡±


    Glancing up, I saw Pat walking toward us wearing a huge smile. I already knew what he was thinking. I had finally brought a girl out onto the boat.


    Taking a quick look at Sierra, Pat looked back to me and shook his head. ¡°Finally. Jesus, I was starting to worry about you.¡±


    Letting out a laugh, I reached my hand out and shook his hand. Turning to Sierra, I said, ¡°Sierra, this is Pat Williams. He manages the docks and takes care of my father¡¯s girl.¡±


    Sierra smiled as she shook Pat¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Pat.¡±

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    ¡°The pleasure is all mine, Sierra,¡± Pat said with a wink.


    Sierra turned and looked at me with a questioning look. ¡°Your father¡¯s girl?¡±


    Grinning, I nodded and then pointed to the ninety-foot schooner docked at the very end on the right. ¡°My father¡¯s girl.¡±


    Sierra turned and looked at the sailboat. ¡°Mother of God. That is huge.¡±


    Pulling her to me, I whispered into her ear, ¡°What every man wants to hear, baby.¡±


    Sierra giggled as she slapped my chest.


    ¡°Everything ready to go, Pat?¡± I asked as we began walking to the boat.


    ¡°Just as you asked. The seas are amazingly calm, but you know the drill.¡±


    Nodding, I shook Pat¡¯s hand once more. ¡°Thanks, man. I¡¯ll see you when we get back.¡±


    Sierra stopped and spun around. ¡°Wait. You¡¯re not going with us?¡±


    Pat gave Sierra an amused smile and shook his head. ¡°No ma¡¯am.¡±


    Sierra looked between Pat and me as she asked, ¡°Who¡¯s gonna sail the boat?¡±


    Placing my hands over my heart, I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m gutted you have zero confidence in me, Ms. Jackson. It¡¯s you, me and That¡¯s My Girl.¡± My father had the name of the boat changed in honor of my mother.


    Sierra¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You can do this by yourself?¡±


    Pat let out a roar of laughter. ¡°Damn. She doesn¡¯t know about your sailing days I take it.¡±


    Shaking my head, I let out a chuckle. ¡°No, she doesn¡¯t. The boat has autopilot so it sails straight while I raise or lower the sails.¡±


    ¡°Have fun, kids!¡± Pat called out as he began walking back down the dock.


    I started getting things ready to start sailing when Sierra grabbed my arms. ¡°Aaron, I¡¯m deathly afraid of the ocean. I mean, I¡¯m not that great of a swimmer. Oh sure, I took lessons and all, but when it came right down to it, I had a massive crush on the teenage boy who was teaching us. I spent more times sitting on the side of the pool watching him and his abs more than I did anything else. I . . . I can¡¯t swim that great.¡±


    Dropping her mouth open, Sierra shook her head. ¡°What if you need my help? Like to dive into the water and do something?¡±


    Sierra¡¯s voice was laced with fear. Pulling my head back, I asked, ¡°Why would I need you to dive into the water?¡±


    Shaking her head, she bit down on her lower lip. ¡°Dunno. What if you do? Then what? We¡¯ll be stuck! Stuck in the middle of the ocean and I¡¯m pretty sure there is like no cell phone coverage out there.¡±


    Laughing, I pulled Sierra into my arms. ¡°Sierra, I promise you I won¡¯t make you dive into the water. We won¡¯t go out far and I swear I won¡¯t make you swim.¡±


    Chewing on her lower lip, Sierra nodded her head. ¡°Okay.¡± Helping Sierra onto the deck, I smiled when she let out a gasp. The table on deck was covered in food. Chocolate covered strawberries, fruit, cheese and every kind of bread you could think of. A bottle of wine was in an ice bucket chilling.


    ¡°Oh my . . . so . . . beautiful.¡±


    Walking up to her, I wrapped my arms around her. ¡°Yes you are, baby.¡±


    Turning in my arms, Sierra¡¯s eyes grew glassy. ¡°I¡¯ve never had anyone do anything like this before. You . . . you are to good to be true, Aaron.¡±


    Shaking my head, I leaned over and gently kissed Sierra¡¯s lips. ¡°I¡¯ve waited so long for you, Sierra. You have no idea how long I waited.¡±


    A single tear rolled down Sierra¡¯s face as I kissed it away. ¡°Let me show you down below.¡±


    ¡°Oh I¡¯ve seen it and I¡¯m very impressed, Mr. Walker. But if you want to whip it out, I¡¯m totally down for that.¡±


    Laughing, I grabbed her hand and led her to the stairs. Walking down into the cabin, Sierra let out a gasp.


    Wood covered everything from floor to ceiling. The half-moon shaped bench was to our left. There was a dining table with three chairs on the other side of the bench. To our right was a white sofa. Just beyond that was the kitchen area.


    Sierra walked further in and ran her hand along the white sofa to our right. Spinning around, she said, ¡°Holy shit. It¡¯s huge down here!¡±


    Letting out a chuckle, I nodded my head. ¡°Yeah, it is. My father had the whole thing remodeled right after he bought her.¡±


    Sierra looked all around as she whispered, ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    Whispering against her neck, I said, ¡°I¡¯ll show you my room in a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Your room? How many rooms are down here?¡± Sierra asked with wide eyes.

 Page 54

    ¡°Three cabins and three bathrooms.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Sierra mumbled as we headed back up on deck.


    After getting way and hoisting the sails, I motioned for Sierra to come stand with me behind the wheel as I started to give Sierra a lesson in sailing.


    ¡°Sailboats cannot sail directly into the wind, so we need to keep an eye on the telltales.¡±


    Nodding her head, Sierra said, ¡°Okay, don¡¯t go directly into the wind. What are telltales?¡±


    Pointing up, I said, ¡°The wind indicator. When the wind is at your back and side, that¡¯s the best point of sailing as both sails are full of wind and pushing the boat at full force.¡±


    Nodding her head, Sierra looked up at the sails. ¡°Just be careful because the boom can change sides suddenly and come across the cockpit fast and hard.¡±


    ¡°Mmm . . . I like fast and hard,¡± Sierra said as she pushed her ass into me.


    Grinning, I pulled her closer to me. I wanted to get out of the bay and out into open water before we stopped and I had my way with her.


    ¡°How far out are we going in the ocean, Aaron?¡± Sierra asked.


    I could hear the fear in her voice. ¡°Not far, it¡¯s a beautiful day for sailing and the oceans calm, but we¡¯ll stay close to the shore. I promise.¡±


    Nodding her head, she looked around as we glided across the water. Taking in this moment, I smiled as I kissed the back of her head.


    This day was going to be perfect.


    Forty minutes later, I was throwing out the anchor just off shore of a private island. I knew if we could still see land, Sierra would most likely feel safer.


    ¡°How deep is the water here?¡± Sierra asked as she looked over the side of the boat.


    ¡°Probably about eighty feet,¡± I said as I secured the anchor.


    Sierra turned and gave me the sexiest grin. ¡°Is there a motor on the back of the boat?¡±


    Laughing, I walked over to her and placed my hand on the side of her face. ¡°Yes. The back of the boat is called the aft.¡±


    Narrowing her eyes, she tilted her head. ¡°Damn that turns me on.¡±


    Lifting my eyebrows, I continued. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°The front of the boat, what¡¯s it called?¡± Sierra asked as she placed her hands on my chest.


    ¡°The bow.¡±


    Moving her hands down, she began to unbutton my shorts. ¡°What¡¯s this side of the boat called?¡±


    ¡°The port,¡± I said as I held my breath while anticipating Sierra¡¯s touch.


    ¡°The right side?¡±


    Licking my lips, I stared at her neck as I watched her pulse picking up. ¡°Starboard.¡±


    Pushing her hand into my shorts, Sierra wrapped her hand around my hard dick as she looked into my eyes.


    ¡°What other terms should I know, Mr. Walker? You know, if I find myself out to sea again.¡±


    ¡°Windward,¡± I said as my voice cracked.


    Sierra¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I take it that has to do with the wind.¡±


    Nodding my head, I attempted to keep myself from ripping her clothes off and fucking her right there. ¡°Direction the wind is blowing.¡±


    Raising her eyebrows, Sierra purred, ¡°Blowing, huh?¡±


    Swallowing hard, I closed my eyes as Sierra pushed my shorts down and dropped to her knees. Grabbing her hair, I began to pump into her mouth as she sucked on my dick. Rolling my eyes into the back of my head, I let out a moan.


    Fucking hell. I never wanted this day to end.


    THE FEEL OF AARON MOVING in and out of my mouth was heavenly. I wasn¡¯t much of a blowjob kind of girl, but shit, I was so turned on by him talking all Popeye the sailorman, I couldn¡¯t help myself.


    Aaron reached down and pulled me back as he lifted me. ¡°I need to be inside you, now.¡±


    Aaron quickly picked me up and carried me below deck. Walking through the living area, he turned to the left and opened the door. Setting me down, Aaron quickly began to undress me as I looked around the cabin Aaron called his.


    Wow. Just Wow. It was beautiful.


    The wood floors and walls were the same beautiful dark wood as the rest of the space below. The bedding was all white with about six white pillows placed at the headrest. I imagined myself being able to sleep soundly down here. There was a small sofa to the right of the bed, perfect for snuggling up and reading a good book.


    Holy hell. This boat must have cost his father a fortune. Right above the bed was a skylight. I could stay here for days upon days.


    Turning, I looked to see Aaron standing there completely naked. ¡°You were mesmerized by the room and I didn¡¯t want to waste time.¡±


    Giggling, I pushed my hands through his hair and tugged as his lips found mine.

 Page 55

    Lifting me up, Aaron carried me over to the bed. Gently placing me down on it, he looked tenderly into my eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to make love to you, Sierra.¡±


    Smiling, my heart felt as if it was about to burst. Aaron moved his lips down my body as he took a nipple into his mouth. Arching my back, I relished in the pleasure. Turning to the side, a picture caught my eye as I tried to focus on it. It was a picture of Aaron¡¯s family. Probably taken on one of their combined vacations with his ex-girlfriend Sandy since she was in the picture.


    Turning away, I tried to push it from my mind. How many girls had Aaron been with on this boat? The thought had my stomach turning.


    Aaron¡¯s lips moved down my body as he moved closer to my clit.


    Stop thinking about it, Sierra. It doesn¡¯t matter. None of them matter.


    Gripping onto the sheets, I sucked in a breath as Aaron swiped his tongue across my clit.


    ¡°Jesus!¡± I cried out. Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried like hell to block that damn picture out of my head. I knew Aaron had been with lots of girls. That wasn¡¯t anything new. I knew in his eyes I was different, hence the reason he didn¡¯t want me calling him Dodge when we had sex. But something about knowing he had been with someone else in this bed did things to my heart . . . and my head.


    ¡°Wait. Stop!¡± I cried out. Aaron immediately stopped and looked at me. My breathing was erratic as I silently cursed myself for stopping him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Baby, is something the matter?¡± Aaron asked as he moved up my body and had his hands on both sides of my face. My goodness, I wasn¡¯t used to a man giving me his full attention at everything.


    ¡°This is so stupid . . . but . . . I . . . I have to ask you something.¡± My eyes began to burn as I held back my tears.


    Aaron¡¯s eyes frantically searched my face. ¡°Anything, Sierra. You can ask me anything.¡±


    Swallowing hard, I closed my eyes and asked, ¡°How many women have you been with here? On this boat. In this bed.¡±


    Slowly opening my eyes, I was met with the most breathtaking smile. Aaron¡¯s thumb moved slowly across my cheek as it left a fiery path in its wake.


    Shaking his head, Aaron whispered, ¡°None. It never felt right to bring anyone here. Being on this boat is . . . well it¡¯s kind of my safeguard. I¡¯m not Dodge who liked to fuck women just because I could. I¡¯m not Dodge who ran after the first fight with my father. On this boat I¡¯m Aaron . . . the man who longed to have someone special share my passion for sailing.¡± Closing his eyes briefly, he slowly shook his head and looked into my eyes. ¡°I wanted to wait for that one person who made me feel like I¡¯d never felt before. You¡¯re it, Sierra. I think I knew the moment I first saw you . . . you were it.¡±


    A tear slowly fell from my eye as it rolled down my cheek. Aaron watched it as it moved down my face. Looking back into my eyes, he took in a slow deep breath and slowly blew it out.


    ¡°The first time I saw you I felt something deep inside and I had no clue what it was. All my hidden desires came alive the first time you smiled at me. I had no idea what was waiting for me, Sierra. Not a damn clue. The moment I tasted your lips I knew . . . you would be mine . . . forever mine. This is probably moving way too fast, but it feels so completely right. I need you to know I love you, Sierra. I love you more than anything.¡±


    A small sob escaped from my lips as I tried to find my voice. ¡°I would lose all control if I ever lost you, Aaron. My heart wouldn¡¯t be able to beat without you and that scares me so much. No one has ever made me feel like this. It¡¯s as if my heart has finally come alive.¡±


    Something moved across Aaron¡¯s face as his eyes searched mine intently. He opened his mouth as if to ask me something, but quickly closed it.


    Closing his eyes, he shook his head as he whispered, ¡°I feel the same exact way, Sierra. My life is nothing without you in it.¡± Opening his eyes, his lips pressed against mine as he slowly pushed into me and made sweet passionate love to me.


    The rock of the boat practically lulled me to sleep as I lay in Aaron¡¯s embrace. The only thing keeping me awake was the feel of Aaron moving his fingers up and down my arm. My entire body was completely relaxed, and I was positive I wore a silly grin on my face.


    Aaron kissed my back as he spoke softly. ¡°Since you don¡¯t like to swim, I got you as close as I could for you to check an item off your bucket list.¡±


    My stomach dipped, and my heart felt as if it skipped a beat.


    Sex on the ocean.


    Turning my body to face him, I let out a chuckle. ¡°Sex in the ocean.¡±

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    Aaron raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°Sex on the ocean. Kind of the same.¡±


    Lifting my hand, I placed it on the side of his face. ¡°I prefer this over being in the ocean. This was . . . perfect.¡±


    Leaning closer to me, Aaron sucked my lower lip into his mouth as he pulled me closer to him. ¡°I¡¯ve only got four more things to check off your list.¡±


    Pulling my head back, I stared at him. ¡°I have six things on my bucket list.¡±


    Narrowing his eyes at me, Aaron let me go and sat up as he ran his hands down his face. ¡°About that. Sierra, there is no fucking way I¡¯m sharing you with another man. Fuck no. Not about to happen.¡±


    My heart about exploded from my chest. I loved seeing how protective of me Aaron was. How much he loved and cared about me. Sitting up, I leaned back against the headboard as I pulled the sheet up and covered my breasts. Aaron glanced over and tugged the sheet, causing it to pool in my lap so that I was exposed to him.


    ¡°What if I said I wanted it to be two girls?¡±


    Aaron looked at me with a stunned look. ¡°The answer is still no, but I must admit that made my dick jump. But no. I don¡¯t want to touch anyone but you.¡±


    Chewing on my lower lip, I fought to hold back my tears. ¡°It wasn¡¯t another girl. It was two guys.¡±


    Aaron looked away. ¡°Sierra . . . I can¡¯t . . . I won¡¯t do it.¡±


    Deciding to put him out of his misery, I crawled onto top of him and sat down. Placing my hands on the sides of his face, I looked into his eyes. ¡°Aaron, I made that list when I was hurting. When I thought I wanted things I knew nothing about. It¡¯s never been a fantasy of mine, nor will it ever be. The only man I want touching me for the rest of my life is staring back into my eyes this very moment. You. You¡¯re all I want, Aaron. You¡¯re all I¡¯ll ever need.¡±


    Grabbing a hold of my face with his hands, Aaron¡¯s eyes quickly searched my face.


    Taking in a deep breath, Aaron captured my eyes with his.


    ¡°Marry me, Sierra.¡±


    I HAD FOUGHT LIKE HELL not to speak the words earlier before I made love to Sierra, but I couldn¡¯t hold them back any longer. They were out before I could stop them.


    ¡°Marry me, Sierra.¡±


    Sierra¡¯s mouth parted open as she stared back at me. ¡°W-what?¡± she mumbled as her eyes filled with tears.


    Closing my eyes, I shook my head. ¡°Damn it. I didn¡¯t want to just blurt that out. I wanted to wait until you were divorced and I wanted you to move in with me, and help me raise Princess. I wanted to show you how much I love you and how I¡¯ll always take care of you with everything that I am. Please, baby, don¡¯t get spooked. I know you¡¯re still married, and I¡¯m not even sure if you ever want to get married again, but¡ª¡±


    Sierra smashed her lips to mine as she kissed me. Hard. Her hands moved to my hair where she grabbed a handful and pulled. Moving her hips, she began to grind against me as my dick quickly came back to life.


    Lifting up, Sierra sank down onto my dick and rode me until we both called out each other¡¯s names. I was hoping like hell that was her way of saying yes.


    Sierra was sleeping peacefully in my arms as I stared out through the skylight. She had yet to say anything to my marriage proposal. My heart felt heavy, and I knew I had moved entirely too fast.


    Carefully slipping out of the bed, I quickly got dressed and headed up on deck. I had made dinner plans for us this evening, and I wanted to make sure we were back in time for them.


    Sailing through the channel, I felt Sierra before she even walked up to me. Wrapping her arms around my waist, she held onto me tightly. Smiling, I went to ask her how she slept when she let go of me and slipped between the steering wheel and me.


    She wore a bright smile and her eyes were picking up the light from the water. I¡¯d never seen her look so beautiful before.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said as her smile grew even bigger.


    Swallowing hard, I wanted to pinch myself to make sure I wasn¡¯t dreaming. I knew that some day when I asked the woman of my dreams to marry me, it was going to be grand. Not me blurting it out in a bed with her straddling me. Sierra deserved more, and I had every intention and asking her the proper way but the fact that she just said yes had me wanting to jump up and down like a little girl.


    Slowly shaking my head, I repeated her word. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Nodding her head, Sierra lifted up on her toes and whispered against my lips. ¡°A thousand times yes, Aaron.¡±


    Closing my eyes, I said a quick prayer. I followed my heart and not my head. Opening my eyes, I said, ¡°You just made me the happiest man in the world, Sierra.¡±

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    Her eyes filled with tears as she said, ¡°Just tell me you¡¯re going to win on Wednesday.¡±


    ¡°I promise you, Sierra. I¡¯m going to win.¡±


    Wrapping her arms around my waist, Sierra buried her face into my chest as I held onto her and took us back to the dock.


    Sitting in the library, I couldn¡¯t stop staring at Sierra as she sat on the sofa with her legs pulled up underneath her. My father was asking her questions as if he was Robert¡¯s lawyer. Had she ever cheated? Why she had a separate bank account the entire time she was married to Robert. Next time I saw her father, I was going to tell him that was the best piece of advice he could have ever given his daughter.


    Chuckling, I pulled out Sierra¡¯s trust fund paperwork I had noticed was missing after reading over it over a week ago. Trying to get the original law firm to send it over was like trying to pull a tooth. I began reading over it as my father and Sierra continued to talk. Sierra had gotten the trust fund when she turned thirty, which was after she had separated from Robert. His lawyer argued the trust fund should be considered part of the marital assets. Robert¡¯s lawyers were also claiming half of the money Sierra used to buy her home in Hyde Park. I had hired a forensic accountant to track Sierra and Robert¡¯s bank account. He had come back showing Robert has been slowly draining the account and putting it in an alternative account. Little did he know that account was still considered part of the marital assets. I couldn¡¯t wait to see his face when we brought that little fact up at the trial. I would be able to convince the judge that, in fact, Sierra had only used her half of the marital assets. Actually used less than her half. No prenup was both a blessing and a curse through these proceedings that was for sure.


    My father and Sierra were now talking about Sierra keeping her cool on the stand. She wasn¡¯t to get upset or angry.


    Standing up, Sierra stretched as my father walked over to me. ¡°Aaron, Sierra and I are going to go grab a drink. Would you like anything?¡±


    Shaking my head, I said, ¡°Nah, I¡¯ve only got a little left to read.¡±


    Glancing up, I smiled as I saw Sierra take my father¡¯s arm as they made their way out of the library.


    Damn it, I want to finish this shit up so I could take her out to eat.


    Wiping my eyes and slapping myself across my face to wake myself up, I started reading again.


    My eyes widened as I read the next section. ¡°Holy shit. I knew the missing documents had to have something in them. The shit was right here in front of the damn previous lawyer the whole time.¡±


    My cell phone rang and I glanced down and saw it was Kyle Lenard calling. The private detective my father had hired to dig up more information on Robert.


    ¡°This is Aaron,¡± I said as I placed the trust fund documents back into the envelope.


    ¡°Mr. Walker, this is Kyle Lenard.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Kyle, tell me you got something for me,¡± I said as I sat back in my chair and pushed my hand through my hair and sighed.


    Letting out a gruff laugh, Kyle said, ¡°Your instincts were spot on, Mr. Walker. Lisa Blank was not the first person Dr. Jackson had an affair with.¡±


    Smiling, I leaned forward. ¡°Do tell.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sitting here looking at two sworn statements by two different women who all have claimed to have had an affair with Robert while he was married to Sierra. All nurses at the hospital where Dr. Jackson worked before going into private practice.¡±


    Shaking my head, I asked, ¡°Kyle, how in the hell did you manage to track them down?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t hard. All it takes is one person to start running their mouth and that was Robert¡¯s tennis partner. I followed him to tennis four times and saw he played with the same guy. Another doctor. Turns out they went to medical school together and although he loves playing tennis with his buddy Robert, he can¡¯t stomach the guy. Told me Robert was cheating on Sierra while they were both still in college even.¡±


    Shaking my head, I let out a fuck from under my breath. ¡°What an asshole,¡± I said as I stood up.


    ¡°Turns out the two nurses feel the same way and said once they found out he was married, they broke it off. One of them even looked Sierra up and was going to tell her, but was so embarrassed she had slept with a married man, she decided not to contact Sierra. They did both say they would be in the courtroom if you needed them to testify.¡±


    Nodding my head, I looked down the hall for Sierra and my father. ¡°Let¡¯s have them wait outside the courtroom. The last thing I want is for Sierra to find out her dirtbag ex was having an affair with two nurses at his job.¡±

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    ¡°Right. I¡¯ll let them know if you need them, I¡¯ll come get them.¡±


    ¡°Good. Did you find anything else about Lisa Blank?¡± I asked as I saw Sierra and my father walking down the hall. They were both laughing.


    ¡°Just that she likes her men. She¡¯s got about three affairs going on outside her relationship with Dr. Jackson.¡±


    ¡°Jesus,¡± I whispered. ¡°Those two were meant for each other.¡±


    Kyle laughed as he said, ¡°Yeah, and all three of the guys are loaded. I¡¯m not sure how in the hell she keeps up, to be honest with you.¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I turned and headed back to the desk. ¡°Who the hell knows. Thanks again, Kyle, for the great work. Please just send everything you¡¯ve got to my office and be at the courthouse a few minutes before the hearing starts.¡±


    ¡°Will do, Mr. Walker. Enjoy the rest of your weekend,¡± Kyle said.


    Sierra and my father walked into the library and I clapped my hands. ¡°Dad, I think Sierra¡¯s ready. Something tells me she won¡¯t even be getting on the stand.¡±


    Sierra looked at me with a confused look on her face and then started laughing. ¡°Wishful thinking! Maybe you¡¯re practicing positive thinking then?¡±


    My father tilted his head and stared at me. Giving him a smile and a nod of my head, he shook his head and laughed. ¡°I never doubted you, son.¡± Turning to Sierra, my father kissed her on the cheek and said, ¡°Go have fun. We head back to Austin early tomorrow morning.¡±


    Sierra¡¯s smile faded. ¡°Ugh. I love it here. I want to stay in this happy bubble forever.¡±


    My father glanced over at me and gave me a wink. ¡°Something tells me you will be, sweetheart. You will be.¡±


    Glancing between my father and me, Sierra shrugged her shoulders and walked up to me where she gave me a smile that melted my heart. ¡°Sierra and I are going out to dinner, but I¡¯d love to meet you, Mom, and Grams this evening for drinks afterward.¡±


    ¡°At the club bar?¡± my father asked.


    Nodding my head, I said, ¡°Sure.¡± I had every intention of letting my parents and Grams know how serious Sierra and I were. No more pushing things to the side. I was ready to start this new chapter in my life. After the trial, Sierra and I could start our lives together.


    Together. Forever.


    SITTING IN AARON¡¯S TRUCK, MY heart was pounding so loudly I was sure he could hear it. Wringing my hands together, I stared out the window as Aaron drove to the country club. After tonight, it was back to reality. I wanted to stay down here with Aaron and never leave. It was soothing. My heart felt happy at the beach. I loved my beach house on South Padre, but it was so far away I never really got to go and enjoy it. I wondered what it would be like going there again. Knowing Aaron had been with Ryn in that house. Feeling my heart drop, I quickly pushed the thoughts away. That was in the past and I needed to leave it there.


    Turning to Aaron, I smiled weakly. ¡°I have to take a trip down to South Padre to check on my place. My father is going to meet me there. Would you . . . um . . . would you like to come with me? You and my father can get to know each other.¡±


    Aaron gave me the sweetest smile as he took my hand in his. ¡°I¡¯d love to, Sierra. When were you thinking of heading down there?¡±


    Shrugging my shoulders, I looked back out the window. ¡°I dunno. I¡¯m thinking of taking some time off of work.¡±


    Aaron slowed his truck down and pulled over to the side of the road. Putting the truck in park, he turned and looked at me. ¡°Are you running, Sierra?¡±


    Pulling my head back, I stared at him. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty simple; I¡¯m asking you if you¡¯re running? I know I moved really fast earlier today by asking you to marry me, but I hope you know I don¡¯t expect you to turn around and marry me before the ink is dry on your divorce. The last thing I want to do is push you away.¡±


    My pulse began to race as I looked at Aaron. He tried to appear calm, but I could tell he was freaked out. It warmed my heart to know he cared so much about my feelings. Reaching over for his hand, I brought it up to my lips and kissed the back of it.


    ¡°I¡¯m not spooked, Aaron. I¡¯m not running anywhere. It¡¯s just everyone at the hospital knows what¡¯s going on and questions are going to be asked, and I just didn¡¯t want to deal with it. Ya know? I¡¯ve already talked to my supervisor about taking a two-month leave of absence. I asked a few weeks ago, long before you and I happened.¡±


    The relief that washed over Aaron¡¯s face caused me to smile. ¡°I love you, Aaron, and I promise you I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡±

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    Aaron reached over and kissed my lips gently. ¡°Good, because now that I¡¯ve got you, there is no way in hell I¡¯m letting you go.¡±


    Wiggling my eyebrows, I said, ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to hear. Come on, let¡¯s get going. I¡¯m sure your parents are waiting on us. Hey, are we going to tell your parents about us? You know, you asking me to marry you?¡±


    Aaron¡¯s face lit up. ¡°I¡¯d love to tell them, but if you want to wait, I completely understand.¡±


    Shaking my head, I said, ¡°No. No I think we should tell them. I¡¯m tired of putting my life on hold.¡±


    Ten minutes later and we were at the country club. As we were about to walk into the bar, I mentioned to Aaron how fun it would be to play golf in the dark. He laughed his ass off and dragged me in for a kiss. I wasn¡¯t really sure what was so funny about that, but I went with it.


    Spotting Brice and Kate, along with Grams, sitting at a table, Aaron quickly made his way over to them. Leaning down and kissing his grandmother first, Aaron then kissed his mother. Brice stood as I sat down and then shook Aaron¡¯s hand. I don¡¯t think I could ever get used to the chivalry these two men used on a daily basis.


    After a few moments of talking about nothing, Aaron cleared his throat. ¡°Mom, Dad, Grams, I wanted you all here so I could tell y¡¯all something.¡±


    Kate and Grams both leaned forward, as if eager to hear what Aaron was going to say. Brice sat back and took a drink of his scotch.


    Reaching for my hand, Aaron smiled at me. My body trembled, feeling his love pouring into me through this simple touch.


    ¡°I wanted to let y¡¯all know it¡¯s finally happened.¡±


    ¡°What has?¡± Kate, Grams and I all asked at the same time.


    Aaron and Brice both let out a small chuckle.


    Aaron placed his other hand behind my neck and pulled me closer to him. My breathing increased, and I was totally lost in his blue eyes. Damn it all to hell. How does he do this to me? Even with his parents and Grams sitting there, my body was aching for him and my panties were wet with my desire.


    ¡°I¡¯ve fallen in love with the most beautiful woman in the world.¡± Turning to his mother and Grams, Aaron said, ¡°Well, besides the two other most beautiful women in the world sitting here at this table.¡±


    ¡°Nice recovery,¡± Brice mumbled under his breath.


    My heart was slamming in my chest. Oh my word. Aaron was professing his love for me to his family. Could he be any more perfect?


    Turning back to me, he brought me closer to him as he kissed me gently on the lips. ¡°And someday, I¡¯m going to marry her because she said . . . she said . . .¡±


    Aaron¡¯s voice cracked as his eyes filled with tears.


    Smiling bigger, I said, ¡°She said yes.¡±


    Kate and Grams both jumped up and began crying as Aaron kissed me again. Pulling back slightly, he whispered against my lips, ¡°I love you, short stack.¡±


    Closing my eyes and shaking my head, I laughed. When I opened my eyes again, Kate was pushing Aaron out of the way and grabbing my hands to pull me up. Standing, Kate brought me in for one of the hugs you long for from your mother when you have good news. Grams was next. By the time they were both done taking turns hugging the hell out of me, it felt as if one of my left ribs was cracked. Brice had hugged and slapped Aaron on the back while he nodded his head and said, ¡°Good job, Aaron.¡±


    Kate pulled me over to the bar and began telling everyone her son was finally in love. The claps and cheers from total strangers caused me to feel like I was walking on cloud nine. A small part of me held back, though. I still needed to divorce Robert, and the sick aching feeling deep in the pit of my stomach told me the trial this week was not going to go as smoothly as Aaron and Brice thought.


    Smiling from ear to ear, I spent the rest of the evening laughing and enjoying the company of Aaron and his family. I never wanted the night to end. The only other thing that could have made it perfect was if I was a part of this family.


    Mrs. Aaron Walker. Yep. I liked the sound of that.


    Feeling my phone buzz in my purse, I pulled it out.


    Asshat: I¡¯m missing you, Sierra. Baby let¡¯s get together and talk.


    My smile instantly faded as I looked down at Robert¡¯s text message. Was he freaking kidding me?


    Me: Robert, there is not working anything out. The best day of my life will be when that judge grants me a divorce from you.


    Setting the phone down in my lap, I glanced around the table. Aaron and his father were talking about another case, and Grams and Kate were discussing last night¡¯s benefit ball and how much money was raised for the American Cancer Society.

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    My phone buzzed again.


    Feeling the anger begin to build up, I excused myself as I stood up and headed outside. Finding Robert¡¯s number, I took a deep breath and tried to stay calm.


    ¡°Miss me, angel?¡± Robert purred over the phone.


    Making a gagging sound, I laughed. ¡°Please. Do you enjoy harassing me, Robert?¡±


    ¡°Where are you? You haven¡¯t been back to your house in a few days.¡±


    Taking in a shaky breath, I tried not to let him know he got to me. ¡°You do know we are legally separated? Having me followed seems at little stalkerish, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mine, Sierra and I want you back,¡± Robert said with a grunt.


    Letting out a fake laugh, I said, ¡°You should have thought of that before you pushed your dick into another pussy, asshole.¡±


    ¡°Always the one for elegant words.¡±


    Looking over my shoulder, I saw Aaron walking out and making his way toward me. ¡°Isn¡¯t that why you married me, Robert?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet tomorrow for lunch. Sierra, I know we can talk through this. You¡¯ve just been angry, baby. I¡¯ll make it up to you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± I said as Aaron mouthed, who is it?


    ¡°You need to come home, Sierra. I want to talk to you before the trial. Maybe we can work out some sort of agreement. I¡¯m willing to take less than half of your trust. I¡¯d be willing to take twenty-five percent. Just go to dinner with me. Let¡¯s talk this over. Hell, maybe we can even work things out, baby. I miss you, Sierra. I miss that warm body up next to mine.¡±


    Now I really truly started laughing. ¡°You¡¯re living in a dream world, asshole. I¡¯d never take you back. Ever.¡±


    Aaron pulled the phone from me and gave me a look. ¡°Dr. Jackson, I¡¯m going to ask you again, if you would like to communicate with my client, please do so through your lawyer.¡±


    I could hear Robert screaming over the phone. Aaron pulled the phone away from his ear and hit End. ¡°What did he say?¡± Aaron asked as he handed me back my phone.


    Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I said, ¡°He wanted to meet for dinner. Talk about a settlement. He said he would take twenty-five percent of my trust if I would just meet with him. He mentioned getting back together.¡±


    Aaron busted out laughing. ¡°Fuck him, that fucking bastard.¡±


    Kate placed her hands on her hips and said, ¡°Language, Aaron Walker.¡±


    Aaron shook his head and glanced over to his mother. ¡°Sorry, Mom.¡± Turning back to me, Aaron¡¯s smile faded. ¡°You¡¯re not thinking about his proposal, are you?¡±


    Shaking my head, I said, ¡°No! Of course not. It¡¯s just . . . he knew I haven¡¯t been home the last few days. I don¡¯t understand why he is having me followed. What could he possibly gain from any of this?¡±


    Brice walked up to us and looked at Aaron. ¡°Aaron, I know you and Sierra have had a renewing experience here at the coast, but I think it is fair to say that once we get back to Austin, you both need to be careful about public affection toward each other. You¡¯re playing with matches, son, and it could cause a terrible fire. Also, maybe I need to take over Sierra¡¯s case.¡±


    My whole body trembled. Why in the world was Robert doing this? It made no sense.


    Aaron pushed his hand through his hair and cursed under his breath. ¡°I know, Dad. I know. I don¡¯t want to walk away from this case. Sierra and I will keep the relationship strictly business until after the trial.¡±


    Brice blew out a long breath of air. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m entrusting both of you will keep your distance from each other.¡±


    Nodding my head, I whispered, ¡°I promise, Brice.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let Sierra or you down, Dad,¡± Aaron said.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time to call it a night,¡± Kate said as she walked up and kissed me on the cheek.


    Aaron kissed his mother and Grams both on the cheek. ¡°We¡¯ll see y¡¯all back at the house,¡± Aaron said as he took my arm and led me toward the parking lot. I couldn¡¯t help but look around. Knowing there was someone out there following me. Watching me.


    Lifting my hand to my mouth, I said, ¡°Oh my God. Aaron, what if the guy following me was the one who broke into my house when I was home?¡± Stopping on a dime, I looked around. ¡°What if there was a strange man in my home while I was in the bathtub?¡±


    I could hear the panic in my voice and I didn¡¯t care. I was scared shitless, but also angry as hell at Robert for making me feel this way.


    ¡°I hate him. I hate him so much,¡± I cried out as Aaron quickly pulled me closer to him and got me into his truck.

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    By the time we had pulled out of the parking lot, I had moved on from being scared. Now I was just pissed. Pulling out my phone, I pulled up Robert¡¯s number.


    ¡°W-what are you doing?¡± Aaron asked me.


    ¡°Calling the fucker back.¡±


    Aaron placed his hand on my leg and I dropped my hands to my lap. Taking in a few calming breaths, I turned to Aaron. ¡°I swore to myself that night he hit me I would never allow him to make me feel like that again, Aaron, and he just did. He took a piece of my sanity and stripped it away from me.¡±


    ¡°I know, Sierra. He¡¯s fucking around with your emotions but baby we are so close to trial. He wants you to freak out. He wants you to feel like you have to settle. Sierra, please trust me. He is going down.¡±


    My heart rate was through the roof as I attempted to stop my hands from shaking.


    ¡°How can you be so sure?¡±


    Smiling, Aaron pulled over on the side of the road and put his truck in park. ¡°Your trust fund for one thing. It was set up by your grandfather right?¡±


    Nodding my head, I said, ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°After reading it a million times, there was something missing. It appeared to have more pages to it. Getting in touch with your father, he told me who drew up the paperwork originally. I requested it from them and I got it before we left to come down here. Earlier today was the first time I had a chance to read it over.¡±


    My heart felt as if it was slamming against my chest. ¡°A-and?¡±


    ¡°Robert can¡¯t touch your trust, baby. It was set up so only blood relatives had any legal access to it.¡±


    My mouth fell to the ground. ¡°Shut up. So this whole time . . . this whole time I was worrying for nothing?¡±


    Nodding his head, Aaron said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid so. The previous lawyer missed it, but I¡¯ve got to say, it was kind of easy to miss.¡±


    ¡°Holy shit,¡± I mumbled as Aaron put his hand on my leg.


    ¡°Please trust me, baby. I¡¯m going to win.¡±


    Pressing my lips together, I nodded my head and whispered, ¡°I trust you, Aaron.¡±


    Minutes later, we were back at the beach house and Aaron was ushering me into the guesthouse. Shutting the door, he turned to me. ¡°I swear to you, I won¡¯t let him hurt you ever again. He is not going to win. I need you to trust me, Sierra.¡±


    I instantly saw it in his eyes. Aaron was a man on a mission; he clearly knew he was going to win.


    ¡°You found something else out though earlier, didn¡¯t you?¡± I asked.


    Aaron¡¯s face fell. ¡°Sierra, it¡¯s something I really don¡¯t want to have to share with you or in front of the court, but I will if I have to.¡±


    A part of me wanted to know what it was and the other part wanted to ignore what Aaron just said. ¡°Will it make a difference in my case?¡±


    Nodding his head slowly, he said, ¡°It could.¡±


    Swallowing hard, I barely spoke above a whisper. ¡°I want to know.¡±


    Pushing his fingers through his hair, Aaron dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling. I knew whatever it was, he was trying to keep it from me because he feared it would hurt me.


    Dropping his head back down, Aaron looked me in the eyes. ¡°Robert had other affairs.¡±


    Standing up taller, I let it soak in.


    Fucking dickwad, asshole, dirtbag . . . fucker!


    Taking in a deep calming breath, I slowly blew it out. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter at this point, because I discovered something this weekend.¡±


    Aaron looked at me with a surprised look on his face. ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I thought I loved Robert when really what we shared was nothing at all like love. I know that because what I feel for you is completely different. What I feel for you is absolute true love.¡±


    Aaron¡¯s body instantly relaxed as he flashed me a smile that melted my insides. Pulling me into his arms, I let my body relax into his. Aaron pushed his hand into my hair and took in a deep breath as he held me close. ¡°I want to make love to you, Sierra.¡±


    Smiling, I pulled back and looked into his blue eyes. ¡°Well, we are in the guesthouse.¡±


    TAKING ANOTHER LOOK AT THE clock, I let out a frustrated sigh. Three in the morning and I had yet to fall asleep. Great. I¡¯m going to be exhausted for the trial.


    Glancing down, I smiled as I saw Princess sleeping peacefully next to me in my king-sized bed. ¡°Glad one of us can sleep.¡±


    Scrubbing my hands down my face, I gave up the fight and got out of bed. ¡°Fuck this.¡±


    Two minutes later, I was standing in my kitchen waiting for my Keurig to make me a cup of hot tea. Taking my tea, I made my way into my office and sat at my desk. Sierra¡¯s file was sitting there ready to go. Closing my eyes, I hoped like hell everything went according to plan. If I had my way, we¡¯d be done in less than thirty minutes.

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    Letting out a sigh, I set my tea down and went over my notes . . . again. My phone buzzed on my desk, and I couldn¡¯t help but smile when I saw her name flash across my screen.


    Sierra.


    Sliding my phone open, I opened up her text message.


    Sierra: Can¡¯t sleep. I hope you¡¯re sleeping.


    Me: Nope. Sitting in my office drinking tea.


    Sierra had been staying at her friends Kacey¡¯s house for the last two nights. Ever since we came back from the coast, Sierra had been acting different. Even though she tried to hide it . . . I knew she was freaked out by her dirt bag husband having her every move followed.


    Sierra: I¡¯m horny. My hand isn¡¯t doing the job.


    Spitting my tea out, I read Sierra¡¯s text. Jesus this girl was going to be the death of me.


    Me: Facetime me now!


    Smiling, I waited for her reply.


    Sierra: I can do you one better.


    Me: I don¡¯t think so. I want to watch you touch yourself.


    Taking another drink of my tea, I waited for her reply.


    Sierra: Come to your back door.


    Sitting up, I read the text three times. What in the hell?


    Jumping up, I quickly ran through my house and unlocked my back door. Standing in front of me was the woman of my dreams dressed in a long trench coat.


    My eyes moved across her and landed on her lips. Fuck I wanted them wrapped around my dick. Licking my lips, I let out a chuckle. ¡°What in the hell are you doing dressed in a trench coat and standing at my back door?¡±


    Sierra looked around before pushing her way inside the house and slamming the door shut. ¡°I couldn¡¯t risk being followed. I took a cab to the airport and then took another cab to Kerby Lane on William Cannon. Then I took an Uber car and had them drop me off three blocks from your house. I practically crawled through shrubs and trees to get here.¡±


    I stood there stunned as I looked at her. She had dirt all over her face; her sneakers were muddy, her hair a complete mess, and her hands were covered in dirt as well. ¡°Jesus, you¡¯re covered in dirt!¡±


    Walking over to the sink, Sierra turned on the water and began cleaning her hands. She didn¡¯t even bother to look at me as she answered, ¡°Your neighbors¡¯ yards. By the way, your neighbor two doors down to the left, he¡¯s a perve. He¡¯s up watching porn and let me tell you, I¡¯ve never seen a man go to town on his own dick like he was. He also is one of those people who have their damn sprinklers go off at three in the morning. Dickhead.¡±


    Turning around, Sierra looked at me like she hadn¡¯t just said all the crazy shit she said. I was pretty sure my mouth was hanging open. ¡°You crawled three blocks, through my neighbors¡¯ yards?¡±


    Pulling her head back and giving me a look like I was crazy, Sierra shook her head. ¡°Fuck no. Some of them have tall fences. I only crawled through the four right here on your street. Mrs. Patterson¡¯s little Chihuahua caught me off guard but I was able to toss him into the pool and buy myself some time. By the time he swam out, I scaled the fence. Of course that¡¯s when I saw the perve and had to scrub my eyes to erase the horror.¡±


    Shaking my head to clear it, I stood there gaping at Sierra. ¡°You threw . . . the dog . . . in the pool? The dog?¡±


    Nodding her head, she smiled slightly. ¡°If you ever need private eye work, I¡¯m your girl. If anyone was following me, I lost them long ago. There was absolutely no method to my madness.¡±


    Sierra smiled and scrunched up her nose. And this woman takes care of poor unsuspecting mothers¡¯ newborn children. God I loved her.


    Tilting her head, Sierra reached up and untied her coat, letting it fall open. I reached out and steadied myself by grabbing onto the kitchen island. ¡°Holy hell, you¡¯re breathtaking.¡±


    Sierra pushed the trench coat off her body and stood before me wearing nothing but a pink lace bra and matching thong.


    Slipping her hand into her panties, she dropped her head back and sucked in a breath while she touched herself. We shouldn¡¯t be doing this. Licking my lips, I watched as Sierra worked herself up. Small whimpers from her lips had me pushing my boxers down and grabbing my dick in my hand.


    Fuck it.


    Walking up to Sierra, I pulled her hand out and picked her up as she smiled at me like I was her everything. ¡°I want it rough, Aaron.¡±


    Letting out a deep growl, I placed Sierra back down and turned her around. ¡°Put your hands on the island, baby, and hold on.¡±


    Looking at me over her shoulder, Sierra bit down on her lip and narrowed her eye at me.


    Pushing her panties out of the way, I placed my dick at the entrance of her pussy and began teasing her. Slipping my fingers in, I about rolled my eyes in the back of my head when I felt how wet she was.

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    Dropping her head, Sierra began panting as she begged me for more. ¡°Aaron, please don¡¯t tease me. I¡¯m stressed out for Christ¡¯s sake!¡±


    Smiling, I pulled my fingers out and pushed in a little more, just enough to give her a taste of me. Sierra began pushing her ass back as she whimpered in need.


    ¡°Baby, how horny are you?¡±


    Looking over her shoulder at me again, she shouted, ¡°I crawled through weeds for you, dammit!¡±


    The dirt on her face made me even harder, I swear. Pushing in more, Sierra cried out, ¡°Yes! More! I want more.¡±


    Placing my hands on her hips, I held onto her as I slammed my dick into her hard and fast as she yelled out in pleasure.


    ¡°Fucking hell!¡± Sierra called out as I began to feel her squeezing down on my dick. She began to tremble as her orgasm rolled across her body. It wasn¡¯t going to take me long.


    Looking down at her beautiful ass, I placed my finger on her ass and pushed in some, causing Sierra to start crying out again.


    Minutes later, I was sitting on the cold tile floor with Sierra sitting on my lap. Our breathing was finally becoming normal again as I held onto her. Princess came stumbling into the kitchen and began barking the moment she saw us.


    Running over to us, Princess jumped up on Sierra and began going crazy.


    ¡°Hey, baby girl! Oh, mommy missed you so much.¡±


    My stomach dropped and my heart did that thing where it felt like it skipped a beat. Holy shit . . . if hearing Sierra talk like this to my dog drove me crazy, what would it be like with kids?


    ¡°I think she has to go potty, Daddy,¡± Sierra said as she stood up, keeping Princess in her arms. I sat on the floor and watched Sierra walk over to the back door. Opening it, she placed Princess down and gave her a little push out.


    I sat there watching the scene play out as Sierra stood practically naked at my back door while she waited for Princess to go to the bathroom. My heart felt as if it was going to burst. A part of me was scared shitless how much I was in love with Sierra. I knew she would never break my heart, but knowing I had never felt this way about anyone before had me slightly freaked out.


    Sierra began quietly calling Princess back in as I stood up. Princess came running into the house at full speed and tore through the kitchen and into the living room. Sierra chuckled as she shut the door and walked over to me. Taking her in my arms, I looked into her eyes. ¡°Baby, we have to go shower. You¡¯ve got dirt all over your face.¡±


    Frowning, Sierra placed her hand on the side of her face. ¡°Going stealth is dirty work!¡± Tossing my head back and laughing, I took her hand and led her to my bathroom where I washed her body and then made slow passionate love to her while she whispered my name against my lips.


    My alarm started going off as Sierra stirred in my arms and cried out, ¡°No! No, make it stop!¡± Smiling, I reached over and turned my alarm off. Turning my face, I buried my nose in Sierra¡¯s hair. God she smelled like heaven.


    ¡°Today¡¯s the day,¡± Sierra whispered.


    Moving my hand up and down her back, I felt my pulse pick up some. I wasn¡¯t the least bit nervous about the trial. Not with the new information I had and the fact Robert couldn¡¯t touch Sierra¡¯s trust fund even if we lost today.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous,¡± I said as I kissed her head.


    Inhaling a deep breath through her nose, Sierra slowly blew it out through her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I came here last night. Well . . . I¡¯m not sorry I came here last night. Three times actually.¡±


    Laughing, I pulled her onto me as she began grinding against my semi-hard dick. Giving me the cutest damn grin I¡¯d ever seen, Sierra¡¯s face turned serious. ¡°Aaron, I had to be with you. I can¡¯t explain it, but I¡¯m glad I was able to wake up in your arms this morning.¡±


    Lifting her up, Sierra reached between us and positioned my dick at her entrance as I slowly dropped her onto me. Closing her eyes, Sierra pressed her lips together as I filled her body to the max.


    Sierra slowly began to move as I held onto her hips. ¡°You know, you could wake up in my arms every morning.¡±


    Sierra dropped her head back and began rocking faster. ¡°Tempting . . . but . . . we . . . need to go . . . slow . . . slow. I can¡¯t move in just yet.¡±


    Smiling, I flipped us over, managing to keep myself buried inside her. ¡°Now is not the time for slow, Sierra.¡±


    Sierra laughed as she wiggled her eyebrows and let me bring out another orgasm while Princess barked to go outside.


    Life couldn¡¯t get any better than this.


    STANDING IN FRONT OF THE mirror, I frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡±

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    Azurdee rolled her eyes as Ryn fell back onto my bed. ¡°Holy hell. Sierra, it¡¯s a divorce hearing . . . not a runway,¡± Ryn said as she covered her face with her hands.


    Shaking my head, I turned to face both of them. Smiling, I looked between the two of them. ¡°Y¡¯all will never know how much it means to me you both came to Austin for this.¡±


    Ryn sat up and gave me a sweet smile as Azurdee wrapped me up in her arms. ¡°That¡¯s what friends are for, sweetie. Now, let¡¯s just hope Aaron kicks your husband¡¯s lawyer¡¯s ass!¡±


    The mention of Aaron¡¯s name made my body shudder with desire. Closing my eyes briefly, I thought back to this morning, and in the shower. And the kitchen.


    ¡°Oh. My. God,¡± Ryn said as I snapped my eyes open.


    ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked as I watched Ryn¡¯s mouth drop open.


    ¡°You and Dodge. You slept with him, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Azurdee¡¯s head about broke off with how fast she turned and looked at me. ¡°What? You slept with Dodge?¡± She began jumping up and down clapping as Ryn¡¯s mouth about dropped to the ground.


    ¡°This past weekend?¡± Ryn asked as she narrowed her eye at me like how my father used to do when he knew I was about to lie.


    Deciding not to hide the fact we were officially together, I grinned and shrugged my shoulders. ¡°This weekend, last night, this morning.¡±


    Ryn slammed her hands to her mouth and began screaming. Hitting her on the shoulder, I said, ¡°My father is going to think I¡¯m killing you in here. Stop screaming!¡±


    Sure enough, there was a knock on my bedroom door. ¡°Sierra, everything okay?¡±


    Heading to the door, I opened it and gave my father an innocent smile. ¡°Everything is fine, Daddy. Ryn is just happy I finally settled on this little black dress.¡±


    My father looked me over. ¡°Well, you are in mourning over all those years you wasted on that prick.¡±


    Chuckling, I nodded my head. ¡°Yep. You¡¯ve got that right. We¡¯ll be just a few more minutes, I promise.¡±


    My father looked into my room at Azurdee and Ryn. ¡°You two sure are some great friends to come all this way and surprise Sierra like you did.¡±


    Ryn came and stood next to me and wrapped her arm around my waist. ¡°That¡¯s what friends do. Kind of like how Dodge is being such an amazing friend to Sierra. Don¡¯t you think so, Sierra? Did you ever imagine you¡¯d be so . . . close . . . to Dodge? I mean, Aaron. Oh no wait, are we calling him Mr. Walker today?¡±


    Nodding his head, my father cleared his throat. ¡°Well, hurry it along girls. Sierra, Mr. Walker, er, Dodge, er . . . Aaron wants you at the courthouse a little early.¡±


    ¡°Almost done, Daddy I swear.¡± Taking a step back into my room, I shut the door and glared at Ryn. ¡°You bitch!¡±


    Both Ryn and Azurdee started laughing. Shaking my head, I pointed at both of them. ¡°Bitches, both of you. You¡¯re both in a ten-minute time out. I¡¯m not speaking to either one of you.¡±


    Grabbing my black pumps, I slipped them on each foot and turned to walk out the door of the bedroom.


    Azurdee cleared her throat and said, ¡°Um . . . you forgot your purse.¡±


    Stopping, I took in a deep breath and reached back for it. ¡°Ten minutes starting now!¡±


    Walking into the conference, I attempted not to let my breathing get out of control. I¡¯d never had a panic attack but with the way I was dragging in air I was pretty sure I was having one.


    Karen the receptionist smiled sweetly and gave me a knowing nod. The kind that says, I know you¡¯re fucking your lawyer. Smiling back at her, I turned and walked over to the window and stared out at the capitol.


    Closing my eyes, I prayed Robert didn¡¯t have anything up his sleeve. My biggest worry was he had some smoking gun none of us would see coming. What it could be, I had no idea.


    Hearing the door to the conference room open, I held my breath as I listened to it slowly shut, and then lock. Smiling, I slowly let my breath out as I felt him getting closer to me.


    Turning around, I sucked a breath in. Aaron stood before me looking so damn handsome. My eyes roamed his body as I took in his black pants and white buttoned-down dress shirt. The striped tie he had on caused my cheeks to blush as I thought back to last night when he tied my hands to his headboard with that very tie and had his way with me.


    My knees wobbled as he drew closer. Leaning against the wall, I tried to calm my breathing down.


    Aaron stopped right in front of me and placed his left hand on the wall, while his right hand went to the window, successfully trapping me in the corner. His blue eyes captured mine as I smiled and grabbed his tie.

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    ¡°This looks familiar,¡± I purred.


    Aaron smiled and my heart felt as if it was about to explode. My entire body filled with a warmth I couldn¡¯t describe. Placing my hand on the window to steady myself, I sucked in a breath.


    ¡°I like the color of this tie.¡±


    Raising my eyebrows, I let out a nervous chuckle. Why in the hell was I so nervous? Jesus, I¡¯ve spent the last week making love to this man every chance I got, and now I get nervous? The way Aaron was looking at me had my body doing all kinds of things. Butterflies danced about in my stomach, my knees felt weak, my heart rate was out of control and the pull in my lower stomach was insane.


    ¡°You certainly know how to come on to a girl, Mr. Walker.¡±


    Aaron pulled his head back as his eyes roamed across my body. ¡°You look beautiful, Sierra.¡±


    Licking my lips, I whispered, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Removing his hand from the window, I jumped when he touched my leg and moved his hand up my dress. Closing his eyes, he shook his head. ¡°Please tell me I¡¯m dreaming.¡±


    Smiling bigger, I slowly nodded my head as I chewed on my lower lip. ¡°You are very much awake. I need you to be alert for this trial.¡±


    Dropping his head, Aaron moved closer to me as he brushed his lips across my neck. ¡°You don¡¯t have any panties on, Sierra. How in the fuck am I supposed to be alert knowing you¡¯re pussy is exposed?¡±


    ¡°Oh God,¡± I said as I held on for dear life. Aaron talking dirty had to be the hottest damn thing ever. ¡°I¡¯ve . . . I put some in . . . my . . . my¡ª¡±


    My mind couldn¡¯t function as he kissed along my neck and worked his fingers inside of me. ¡°Cat got your tongue, baby?¡± Aaron whispered in my ear.


    ¡°Purse! They¡¯re in my purse and I¡¯ll put them on right now.¡±


    Grabbing my hand and pushing it over my head and against the wall, Aaron slowly shook his head. ¡°Keep them off,¡± he spoke against my lips as he quickly let go of me and stepped away. Turning, he headed to the door and unlocked it as I stood in the corner, dragging in air and trying not to fall to the ground.


    The door opened and Brice walked in. Turning away so he couldn¡¯t see my flushed face, I listened to Aaron and his father speak for a few minutes. Thank God, I needed this time to gather my wits. What in the hell was I thinking not wearing panties? I should have known Aaron would find out.


    Shaking my head, I cleared my thoughts and turned to look at Aaron and Brice.


    Giving my best smile, I made my way to the other end of the conference table as I tried to not let the smell of Aaron¡¯s cologne get to me.


    Stopping just shy of him, I cleared my throat and pulled out a chair to sit. ¡°Don¡¯t sit, Sierra. We need to head on over to the courthouse.¡±


    My heart slammed in my chest. ¡°Now? We have to go now?¡±


    Brice smiled as he placed his hands on my arms. ¡°You¡¯re soon going to be free from all of this. The sooner the better, if you ask me.¡± Brice leaned in and kissed me softly on the cheek. I knew he was kissing me not because I was a client, but because I was madly in love with his son and his entire family. I prayed like hell they felt the same way about me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll meet you both over there,¡± Brice said as he quickly turned and headed out the door. My eyes snapped over to Aaron.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even want to see him, Aaron.¡±


    Picking up the files and placing them in his briefcase, Aaron winked at me as he walked toward me. Holding his hand out, I took it as I chewed nervously on my lower lip. ¡°Um . . . Ryn and Azurdee surprised me and came into town for the trial.¡±


    Aaron smiled. ¡°That was nice of them. Are Lark and Tristan here as well?¡±


    Shaking my head, I let Aaron lead me out of the office and to the elevator. His hand on the small of my back made me feel safe. As much and as fast I was falling in love with this man I had to fight to keep my guard up.


    By the time we were in the garage, I was feeling somewhat better.


    Sitting in the car, I took in a few deep breaths as Aaron pulled out and headed toward the courthouse.


    ¡°Do you need relaxing, baby?¡±


    My head popped up and I looked at Aaron as I instinctively spread my legs apart before pushing them back together.


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t. Good lord, Aaron. We are on the way to my divorce hearing and you want to give me an orgasm?¡±


    Aaron laughed. ¡°Hell no. I want to watch you give yourself one.¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I opened my purse and pulled out my panties. Slipping them over my heels, I pulled them up as I lifted my ass off the seat. Letting out a huff, I glanced over to Aaron who was now in a full on pout.

 Page 66

    ¡°Oh, dear God. Don¡¯t pout, Aaron, it doesn¡¯t become you.¡±


    ¡°That was just mean. That was my motivation to get this thing done and wrapped up.¡±


    Fighting to hold back my grin, I glanced out the passenger side window. ¡°Well, now that you know what lies under the panties, you can work at getting them off faster.¡±


    Aaron laughed and hit the gas when it turned green. The closer we got to the courthouse, the more nervous I got.


    Reaching over, Aaron took my hand in his and held it. A strange feeling moved though my body. I was instantly calmed and for the first time in months, I actually looked forward to my future.


    My future with Aaron.


    STEPPING OFF THE ELEVATOR, I saw Ryn, Azurdee, Kyle and two women who looked almost identical to Sierra. Staring at them, I turned to Kyle and motioned for him to speak with me.


    ¡°Are those the two nurses?¡± I asked, making sure to keep my voice down.


    Kyle nodded his head. ¡°Yep. Your reaction was exactly like mine. Same body type, hair, eye color. They are like replicas of Mrs. Jackson.¡±


    Turning back to look at them, I nodded my head. ¡°I¡¯ll text you if I need you to come into the courtroom. Otherwise, why don¡¯t we find a spot where Robert won¡¯t see these two.¡±


    Nodding his head, Kyle made his way back over to the two nurses who Robert had affairs with.


    After a few minutes of talking to another lawyer, I walked over to Sierra.


    Placing my hand on her arm, I felt her jump. ¡°It¡¯s about time to head on in.¡±


    Nodding her head, Sierra gave me a weak smile as I guided her toward the courtroom. We were almost there when around the corner Robert and his lawyer appeared. Sierra grabbed onto my arm and I couldn¡¯t help but notice her sharp intake of air. Quickly dropping her hand, Sierra walked in front of me and stopped right at the door.


    ¡°Robert. It¡¯s a good day for a divorce, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± Sierra said with a fake smile on her face.


    Robert¡¯s eyes moved up and down Sierra¡¯s body and I fought the urge to pound his face into the floor. ¡°I really wish you had agreed to have dinner with me, Sierra. This whole thing was a mistake. It¡¯s not too late to settle. We can just push this out and try to talk things through.¡±


    He knows. His lawyer must have found the provision in the trust where it says no one but blood can touch the money.


    Glancing over to Robert¡¯s lawyer, he was shaking his head. ¡°Dr. Jackson, please, let¡¯s head on into the courtroom.¡±


    Turning to me, I gave the guy a smile and nod as he attempted to get Robert away from Sierra. Smiling politely, he looked confidant. ¡°Good luck, Mr. Walker. You¡¯ll need it.¡±


    Yep this guy was way too confident and had me second-guessing if they knew about the trust fund or the fact Jeremy was gay and living in England.


    Feeling my phone go off in my pocket, I pulled it out to see it was a text from Kyle.


    Kyle: Jeremy Hines confirmed he has not talked to Dr. Jackson¡¯s lawyer.


    Smiling, I wanted to fist pump. I had made the decision to let Jeremy know what Robert was doing. I figured if he had been a good friend of Sierra¡¯s in college, he would still want to protect her from the dirt bag ass she had married. My guess was correct. Jeremy had told me over the phone that Robert had threatened him on more than one occasion to stay away from Sierra. Jeremy had purposely taunted Robert by planting shit about him and Sierra in Robert¡¯s head. Jeremy said he had figured Robert was a player and he didn¡¯t want to see Sierra get hurt, but he never could prove Robert was a douche.


    Minutes later, everyone stood while the bailiff presented Judge Patterson. ¡°This is case number 917A077 regarding the divorce trial of Mrs. Sierra Jackson verses Dr. Robert Jackson.¡±


    Judge Patterson sat down and looked over the paperwork. Glancing up at both lawyers, she said, ¡°Dr. and Mrs. Jackson could not agree to terms during mediations?¡±


    Clearing my throat, I said, ¡°No, your honor.¡±


    Nodding her head, she motioned to me with her head. ¡°Mr. Walker, please go ahead and let¡¯s get this started.¡±


    Nodding, I got ready to go for the jugular of Robert¡¯s case.


    ¡°Your honor, the reason my client decided not to settle was in regards to her trust fund. In section seven, paragraph four, the stipulation is stated no one other than a direct descendent of Paul Robert Banks shall be entitled to any portion of any money or assets part of the Banks trust fund.¡±


    ¡°What in the fuck?¡± Robert said as Judge Patterson glanced over and gave a warning to him.


    ¡°I will hold you in contempt of court, Dr. Jackson, if another outburst is heard from you.¡±

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    Yes. Please do show your true colors in front of the honorable Judge, Robert.


    Judge Patterson raised her eyebrow and looked at Robert¡¯s lawyer and then me. ¡°How are we just now finding out this provision? This would have saved a lot of time.¡±


    Standing, Robert¡¯s lawyer said, ¡°The trust documents were reviewed by my paralegal. I¡¯m not sure how she missed this.¡±


    Judge Patterson¡¯s eyes about popped out of her head as she stared at Robert¡¯s lawyer. Shaking her head, she turned to me. Attempting to hold my smile back, I cleared my throat.


    ¡°As the court knows, I was newly assigned to Mrs. Jackson¡¯s case. After going over the documents numerous times, it was clear there were some missing. Those missing documents arrived only last week.¡±


    Taking in a deep breath and letting it out sharply, Judge Patterson nodded her head and said, ¡°I see. Well, clearly it would have been nice if someone had noticed this major section in the trust fund documents was missing.¡±


    Nodding my head, I said, ¡°I agree ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Continue on, Mr. Walker.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your honor,¡± I said as I reached for another envelope.


    Judge Patterson leaned back in her chair, as if waiting for the show to continue on.


    ¡°We¡¯d like to go ahead and address the accusation of my client, Mrs. Jackson, having an affair with Jeremy Hines. I have here a sworn affidavit from Mr. Hines stating he has not seen Mrs. Jackson in over five years and has been living in the United Kingdom with his partner, Joshua Rimm, where they are raising a daughter together. He has stated that at no time in the years he has known Mrs. Jackson, have they ever engaged in any sexual conduct.¡±


    Robert stood up. ¡°This is bullshit! They fucked in college! I know they did.¡±


    Judge Patterson slammed her gavel so hard that it echoed through the courtroom and Sierra let out an audible gasp. Pointing to Robert, Judge Patterson said, ¡°Sit down, Dr. Jackson. One more outburst from you and you will be held in contempt.¡±


    Turning around, I looked at Robert¡¯s lawyer who glared at me. Turning to Robert he whispered something, nodded his head and then stood and addressed the judge. ¡°Your honor. My client would like a moment to speak with his wife in private.¡±


    Judge Patterson looked at me and I shook my head no. ¡°My client wishes to proceed. This trial has been pushed back multiple times and she longs to move on with her life.¡±


    ¡°With you!¡± Robert called out. Judge Patterson glared at Robert.


    ¡°Mr. Walker, do you have anything else to present since it seems you¡¯re on a roll this afternoon?¡±


    Giving her a smile, I walked back to the table and looked at my father. He sat back in his chair happy as a clam, while Sierra sat there with a blank expression on her face.


    Sifting through the papers, I pulled out the last two bits of ammo I had. The affairs. Sierra sat up taller and folded her hands across her lap as she gave me a smile. Glancing over to my father, he nodded.


    Turning to the front of the courtroom I held up the first piece of paper. ¡°I have here in my possession a sworn affidavit from a forensic accountant who went through the last three years of Dr. and Mrs. Jackson¡¯s bank statement. The statement states Dr. Jackson was slowly draining the joint account he and Mrs. Jackson shared and depositing it into an alternative funding account. This account is considered a part of the marital assets.¡±


    Robert leaned over and began talking to his lawyer who kept nodding his head.


    ¡°Your honor, I also have sworn affidavits from two women who previously worked at the same hospital as Dr. Jackson, stating they both had sexual relationships with Dr. Jackson while he was married to my client.¡±


    Judge Patterson motioned for the affidavits. Reading over them, she set them down and cleared her throat. ¡°Mr. Walker, is your client going to be asking for her portion of these marital assets?¡±


    ¡°No, your honor. My client only wishes to be granted the divorce and is waiving all rights to her portion of the marital assets.¡±


    Nodding her head, Judge Patterson, said, ¡°Fine. I¡¯m ready to make my ruling.¡±


    Everyone stood as I heard Robert behind me whispering frantically to his lawyer.


    ¡°I hereby rule in favor of Mrs. Jackson and grant her divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. No additional compensation will be granted to either party.¡±


    Hitting the gavel again, it echoed through the courtroom as Robert stood up. ¡°Wait. No wait.¡± Turning to Sierra, Robert said, ¡°Sierra. We can make this work! Why are you throwing our marriage away?¡±

 Page 68

    Robert¡¯s lawyer got Robert to settle down as the judge left the room.


    My father clapped his hands and then pulled me in for a hug. ¡°Damn good job, Aaron. I¡¯m proud of you, son.¡±


    Smiling, I nodded my head. ¡°I learned from the best.¡±


    Turning to look at Sierra, she was sitting back down with a stunned look on her face. Sitting down next to her, I took her hand in mine. ¡°It¡¯s over, Sierra. You¡¯re free of him and he isn¡¯t getting a damn thing from you.¡±


    Turning her head slowly, Sierra said, ¡°It was too easy. That was too easy. I mean . . . you just walked in and rattled off some information . . . and then . . . it was done.¡±


    Laughing, I said, ¡°I told you I was the best lawyer in Austin. He will never bother you again, Sierra.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s over? I mean. We¡¯re divorced?¡±


    Holding back my desire to lean over and kiss her, I nodded my head and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s over, baby.¡±


    Sierra stood up and turned to my father. Taking her into his arms he hugged her and whispered something into her ear that caused her to start laughing. Turning to me, Sierra threw herself into my body and held onto me for dear life.


    Whispering in my ear, Sierra said, ¡°Thank you, Aaron. Thank you so much.¡±


    Closing my eyes, I held her tight. ¡°There isn¡¯t anything I wouldn¡¯t do for you, Sierra.¡±


    When I let Sierra go, I turned to see Robert glaring at us. Before I knew what was happening, Robert made his way over to Sierra and grabbed her by the arm.


    ¡°You¡¯re mine, Sierra and I¡¯m not going to let you walk away from our marriage like this.¡±


    My father grabbed my arm and held me back. ¡°Aaron, let her handle it.¡± Glancing at my father, I knew he was right. Turning back to them I took in a deep breath and held it. I wanted to pound the hell out of Robert.


    Sierra grabbed Robert¡¯s hand and pushed it away. ¡°You are nothing to me, Robert. Nothing. Go find your whore now and move on with your life. I fully intend on moving on with mine and you are not a part of it.¡±


    Robert stood there stunned. Turning on his heels, he quickly left the courtroom.


    Sierra took a few moments to get herself together as my father let me go. Turning to Ryn and Azurdee, Sierra smiled. ¡°It¡¯s time to celebrate!¡± she said as she hugged Ryn and Azurdee and began making her way out of the courtroom.


    Gathering up my files, my father took me by the arm. ¡°Aaron, something is not sitting right with me.¡±


    After placing the last file in my briefcase, I looked at my father with a slack expression. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Shaking his head, my father let out a frustrated sigh. ¡°He walked away too easily.¡±


    Pulling my head back, I pushed my eyebrows together and said, ¡°Because he knew he lost, Dad. He had nothing, and with the additional affairs being brought to light, he didn¡¯t have a leg to stand on.¡±


    Pushing his hand through his hair, my father looked around the courtroom as if searching for answers.


    ¡°No, I mean he walked away from Sierra too easily just then. He clearly realized right at the end the mistake he made by cheating. Do you really think he¡¯s going to walk away from her just like that, after that outburst?¡±


    Tightening my hands into fists, I forced myself to loosen them. ¡°I think he was pissed he lost, Dad. He¡¯s pissed because I think he thought he was going to get the money and Sierra.¡±


    Shaking his head, my father wore a worried expression. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I think now would be a great time for you to take some time off. Maybe go on a trip somewhere and properly ask Sierra to marry you. I¡¯ve seen too many cases where one of the spouses realizes the mistake that was made and they try to fix it. And by fix it, I¡¯m not meaning in a good way, Aaron.¡±


    My heart began to beat rapidly in my chest. ¡°I¡¯d love to do that, Dad.¡±


    Placing his hand on my shoulder, he gave me a weak smile. ¡°Keep your eyes on her, son. I have a feeling Dr. Jackson isn¡¯t going to ride off into the sunset.¡±


    Giving the side of my arm a light tap, my father turned and headed out of the courtroom. Leaving me standing there wondering if I had just woken up a sleeping beast.


    ALMOST FOUR MONTHS HAD PASSED since the divorce trial. I hadn¡¯t heard or seen Robert or Lisa since. The first few weeks after the trial, I found myself looking over my shoulder. Robert¡¯s behavior rattled me, but Aaron assured me it was a man who had just had his balls busted and was pissed off.


    Walking into the nursery, I glanced at the three newborns as they all slept peacefully. Never in my entire career had I walked into this room and felt the desire I had been feeling the last two months. I wanted a baby. Aaron¡¯s baby.

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    Hearing one of the babies whimper, I walked over and picked up the pink swaddled baby and walked over to the rocking chair. Holding her in my arms, I slowly rocked her back into a slumber as I thought back to Aaron asking me to marry him the second time.


    Rolling over, I smiled when I heard the waves crashing on the shore. Aaron had surprised me with a trip to Cancun not long after the divorce. We had been here four days already and I was wishing we could just stay here forever. Yesterday was filled with a trip out on a sailboat Aaron had chartered for the day. The evening ended with a slow dance on the deck of the boat and Aaron promising to make love to me all night long.


    Stretching, I let out a giggle. Oh yes. My body indeed felt the after effects of Aaron¡¯s marathon night of lovemaking.


    Sitting up, I reached for a hairband and pulled my hair up into a ponytail and headed out of our little bungalow. The smell of breakfast immediately hit me as I saw Aaron pulling out a chair at the small round table. My stomach felt as if I was on a roller coaster as I stared into his breathtaking eyes.


    ¡°Why thank you, Mr. Walker,¡± I said with a purr as I walked up, kissed him on the lips and sank down into the chair.


    Leaning over, Aaron placed his hand on my chin and lifted my face up to his. ¡°Good morning, baby. Did you sleep well?¡±


    Sinking my teeth into my lip, I nodded. ¡°When I was finally able to sleep, yes, I slept heavenly.¡±


    Winking, he said, ¡°Good.¡±


    Taking a seat next to me, Aaron reached for the orange juice and poured me a glass. For some crazy reason, my hands were shaking and I felt like I was a teenage girl again out on her first date.


    Placing the glass of orange juice up to my lips, I asked, ¡°What¡¯s up today?¡± Taking a drink, I raised my eyebrows as Aaron gave me a naughty smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you one thing that¡¯s up.¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I looked down at the yummy breakfast before me. Picking up my fork, I began digging in. Glancing up, I smiled as Aaron stared at me. ¡°What?¡± I asked as I stuffed more eggs into my mouth.


    Standing up, Aaron held his hand out for me. ¡°I can¡¯t wait a second longer. I never was good with keeping surprises.¡±


    Jumping up, I smiled. ¡°Surprises?¡±


    Aaron reached down and scooped me up into his arms. ¡°Close your eyes, baby.¡±


    Feeling like a little kid in a candy store, I did what he asked as he walked toward the shore.


    ¡°Ready?¡± he whispered as he lowered my body slowly down. The moment my toes touched the sand, I smiled. Opening my eyes, I was looking directly into Aaron¡¯s. My heart felt as if it skipped a beat as he smiled back at me. His eyes were swimming with love.


    Turning me toward the shore, I sucked in a breath as I looked out in the water. A huge sailboat sat just off the shoreline with a sign that said, I love you, Sierra. Will you marry me?


    Spinning around, I practically fell backwards at the sight before me. Aaron was kneeling down on one knee holding open a ring box with one hand and a bouquet of calla lilies in his other hand. My favorite flower.


    Placing my hands over my mouth, I began to cry.


    ¡°Sierra Lynn Jackson. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?¡±


    Dropping my hands to my side, I nodded my head frantically as I dropped down onto the sand and wrapped my arms around Aaron. I would never experience such happiness as I did in that moment.


    ¡°Sierra? Sierra, are you lost in thought or what?¡±


    Smiling, I shook my head and stood up. Placing the little pink bundle of joy back into the basinet, I turned and looked at my coworker, Maria. ¡°I guess I was just taking in this will be my last time in this room.¡± Taking in a deep breath, I held it while I attempted to settle my feelings. Slowly blowing it out, I turned and headed out of the nursery. Walking up to the nurse¡¯s station, I smiled as everyone held a single balloon in their hands. Each one said good luck. Wiping my tears away, I quickly made my way to each of the nurses I had worked with for the last four years and hugged them.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to miss you. Are you sure you want to do this Sierra? Leave patient care and go teach?¡± Maria asked as she handed me the last balloon.


    Nodding my head, I chewed on my lower lip. ¡°I¡¯ve never been so sure of anything in my entire life. I¡¯m going to miss y¡¯all too.¡±


    After saying good-bye again for the fourth time, I took my handful of balloons, waved, and made my way to the elevator. As much as I loved my job, I was looking forward to my new career of teaching. I needed a change and this was it. At least . . . I hoped this was it. Something felt as if it was missing and I couldn¡¯t place my finger on what it was.

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    Walking to my car in the employee parking lot, I put the balloons in the back seat and then pulled out my cell. Sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, I opened up my text messages. I had eight text messages from Aaron.


    Aaron: Princess is hurt!


    Aaron: Princess is bleeding. Everywhere! I need you!


    Aaron: Stat!


    Oh shit. What happened to Princess? Damn it. I knew she should have come with me last night. She¡¯d be safe and at doggy day care right now.


    Aaron: It¡¯s everywhere! What the fuck! Going to vet.


    Aaron: I¡¯m at a loss for words. She¡¯s having her doggy period. Heat is what they call it!


    Covering my mouth with my hand, I tried not to laugh out loud but soon lost the battle.


    Aaron: You had to give me a girl didn¡¯t you?


    Aaron: I¡¯m NOT going to PetSmart to buy girl shit for her.


    Shaking my head, I read the last message and busted out laughing.


    Aaron: Jesus H Christ. You planned this all along didn¡¯t you? You¡¯re evil. I¡¯m marrying the devil!


    Hitting Aaron¡¯s number, I started my car and waited for him to answer.


    ¡°Hello!¡± Panic laced Aaron¡¯s words as I turned up the volume on my car as the phone connected through the speakers. I knew it was wrong, but I kind of liked knowing this had totally caught Aaron off guard.


    ¡°Clearly you didn¡¯t read the book Kacey gave you when she first gave you Princess. You¡¯d have known this was coming.¡±


    ¡°W-what? That¡¯s what you¡¯re going to say to me as I sit here with my dog sitting in my truck bleeding as she wears some contraction thing that has her damn tail sticking through it! She got blood on my seat, Sierra. My truck seat.¡±


    Pressing my lips together to keep from laughing, I said in a calm voice. ¡°Baby, I just pulled out of work. I¡¯ll meet you at the PetSmart on Brodie Lane, okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already there. We¡¯re in the parking lot . . . waiting for you.¡±


    Ten minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot. Aaron was sitting on the tailgate of his truck while Princess was lying down next to him.


    Parking my car, I walked over to them with a shit-eating grin on my face. Aaron looked miserable and Princess jumped up and began barking the moment she saw me. I had to admit, it made me all kinds of giddy that she loved me as much as she did.


    Aaron sighed. ¡°Sure, now she acts all happy. Before, you¡¯d have thought she was the most depressed dog in the world.¡±


    Taking Princess¡¯ leash, I called for her to jump down. ¡°Well shit . . . look at her. You have her in a diaper!¡±


    Aaron shook his head, as if in disbelief. ¡°She¡¯s bleeding! And the worst part is, the vet wants to wait until she is out of heat before he spays her.¡±


    Aaron jumped off his tailgate and shut it as he began walking toward the entrance of the pet store. ¡°That¡¯s good though, Aaron. If they do it while she is in heat, she might have more bleeding.¡±


    Brushing me off with his hands, Aaron spoke in a frustrated voice. ¡°I know, I know. He already talked to me about it.¡±


    Looking down at Princess, she glanced up at me, almost as if we were both thinking the same thing. Nodding my head, I said, ¡°I know, girl. We just need to be patient with Daddy.¡±


    My stomach dropped as the thought of having a child with Aaron flooded my thoughts. Grinning like a crazy fool, I pushed the thoughts away while following Aaron into the store.


    Aaron immediately walked up to a young woman stocking a shelf. ¡°Excuse me, can you tell where I can find the tampons for dogs?¡±


    My mouth dropped open and so did the employee¡¯s as she asked, ¡°Um . . . excuse me?¡±


    Aaron lifted his hand and dropped it again in frustration. ¡°You know, the tampons for dogs? My dog is in heat and I need tampons so she won¡¯t bleed.¡±


    Princess whimpered next to me, and I fought the urge to pick her up and run. Looking down at her, I held up my hand and whispered, ¡°I got this, girl, but let¡¯s just let this play out a few more seconds.¡±


    Princess dropped down on the floor and placed her head on her paw while she closed her eyes. Poor thing was scared for her life.


    Turning back to Aaron, I fought like hell not to bust out laughing. I couldn¡¯t decide what was funnier. The shocked expression on the PetSmart employee¡¯s face or the fact Aaron kept referring to the doggy diapers as tampons.


    ¡°Ah . . . oh no, no they don¡¯t make things like . . . um . . . like that . . . um . . .¡±


    Oh, this is priceless. Shit! I should be recording this!


    Pulling out my phone, I quickly swiped up and began recording.

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    ¡°Yes. Yes, they do. They have to. The vet told me to come here and get them. I need her to not bleed in my truck or anywhere in my house, so if you¡¯ll just point me to where the tampons are . . . I¡¯ll get out of your hair.¡±


    Pointing my phone down to Princess, I made sure to zoom in on the diaper she was wearing before turning the camera back onto Aaron.


    The employee looked at me with pleading eyes, but I offered no help as I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing.


    ¡°Ah . . . sir . . . tampons are for . . . well . . . ladies, um you know during that time.¡±


    Aaron was growing impatient as he pointed over to Princess. The young girl looked at Princess, who was now fast asleep on the floor. ¡°I know. I know. You see my dog is during that time. So I need the tampon things to keep her from bleeding everywhere. She got blood in my truck. In. My. Truck.¡±


    ¡°Sir, do you mean doggie pants? Some people call them doggie pads?¡±


    Aaron pulled his head back and turned to me. Looking surprised to see me recording him, he asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Shrugging, I said, ¡°Recording this for Ryn and Tristan.¡±


    Aaron rolled his eyes as he asked, ¡°What are tampons?¡±


    Smiling, I kept recording as I said, ¡°I think you¡¯re thinking of pads, Aaron. Tampons you . . . um . . . insert inside.¡±


    Aaron¡¯s face fell as he whispered, ¡°Oh hell.¡±


    DROPPING DOWN ON THE SOFA, I let out a tired moan. Princess was resting in her little makeshift bed I made so she didn¡¯t have to jump or move too much. This was stressful. If I can hardly handle a dog being spayed, what am I going to do when Sierra and I have kids and one falls from a tree and breaks their arm?


    Em walked out of the kitchen and handed me a beer as she sat down next to me and pulled her legs up to her chest. ¡°So¡ª¡±


    Taking a drink of the beer, I raised an eyebrow and looked at Em. ¡°So . . . what?¡±


    ¡°Have y¡¯all set a date yet?¡±


    Smiling, I nodded my head as Em began jumping around like a child. ¡°Oh my gosh! Aaron why haven¡¯t y¡¯all said anything?¡±


    Shrugging my shoulders, I gave her a wink. ¡°We just picked a date yesterday. Sierra had to make sure she could take off in the fall with the new job, but we decided what we wanted to do for the wedding, and the honeymoon.¡± Wiggling my eyebrows, Em made a gagging sound as she stuck her finger down her throat.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t need that visual, thank you very much.¡±


    Shrugging, I said, ¡°That¡¯s what brothers are for, baby sister. Hey, I¡¯m going to need you to house sit and watch Princess for me.¡±


    Em beamed as she smiled. ¡°Sure! Can I have a party?¡±


    Giving her a warning look, I held up my finger and said, ¡°One party with no more than eight people. No sex, no drugs, and no alcohol.¡±


    Lifting her hands to her chest she crossed her arms and pouted. ¡°Well damn, Aaron. Why have a party then?¡±


    ¡°Ha ha,¡± I said as I tossed a pillow at her. ¡°Anyway, three weeks from today. I¡¯ll be gone for two weeks.¡±


    Em took a drink of her beer and set it on the coffee table. ¡°Okay. Where are you going?¡±


    Smiling, I said, ¡°Spain.¡±


    ¡°Spain! Wow. What for?¡±


    ¡°My wedding, and honeymoon.¡±


    Em looked at me as her eyes grew bigger in her head. Slowly shaking her head, she asked, ¡°Wedding?¡±


    Nodding my head, I stood up and headed into the kitchen. ¡°Yep. And honeymoon, don¡¯t forget I said honeymoon.¡±


    Scrambling to her feet, Em chased after me. ¡°Aaron! Y¡¯all are getting married in Spain? In three weeks? Wait . . . is it just the two of you . . . alone?¡±


    Opening up the pantry door, I searched for something salty to eat. Finding a bag of Lays potato chips, I smiled and grabbed them.


    Em reached for my arm and pulled me around to look at her. ¡°You¡¯re eloping? What about Mom and Dad? What about me? You¡¯re robbing us of this moment. How could you?¡±


    Laughing, I placed my hands on Em¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Settle down, tiger. We¡¯re going to have a ceremony here too, before we leave. Just family and friends at Mom and Dad¡¯s place.¡±


    Em¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Really? How in the world did y¡¯all plan this so quickly?¡±


    Shrugging my shoulders I said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. We both wanted something small and intimate. Sierra has wanted to go to Spain, so she had all the information already for where to go and stay. It kind of just fell together, especially having told mom. She took off with the plans.¡±

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    Emily eyes filled with tears as I smiled. ¡°Sierra wanted to ask you herself to be in the wedding, so act surprised when she talks to you about it.¡±


    Em did a little scream and threw herself into my arms. ¡°Oh, Aaron! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re getting married.¡±


    Closing my eyes, I held her tight. ¡°Me either, Em. Me either.¡±


    Carrying the last box out of Sierra¡¯s house, I put it in the back of my truck. Wiping the sweat from my brow, a woman about my age approached me with a smile. ¡°Hello there. Moving in?¡±


    Letting out a chuckle, I said, ¡°No, I¡¯m moving my fianc¨¦e out.¡±


    The stunned expression on her face caused me to smile bigger. ¡°Sierra is getting married? Didn¡¯t she just get divorced?¡±


    Glaring at her, the woman¡¯s smile faded as she rocked back and forth nervously on her heels. ¡°Well, not that it¡¯s any of my business.¡±


    Smiling, I nodded my head and said, ¡°No, it really isn¡¯t.¡±


    Giving me a dirty look, she cleared her throat. ¡°I was coming over to invite Sierra over for our daughter¡¯s one-year birthday party. She was the labor and delivery nurse when I had Angie.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked as I glanced back toward the house, wondering where in the hell Sierra was. She had been right behind me with a box. When I saw the curtain move, I knew what she was doing.


    That little brat was hiding!


    ¡°Yes. Ever since we found out Sierra lived a few doors down from us, we¡¯ve invited her to all of Angie¡¯s parties.¡±


    Jerking my head back, I gave her a dazed look. ¡°All of Angie¡¯s parties? Isn¡¯t she just turning one?¡±


    Laughing and hitting me playfully on the chest, to which I took a step away from her, she said, ¡°She is just one, but we¡¯ve had parties for each month, silly.¡±


    ¡°Each month?¡± I asked as I glanced back at the window and saw Sierra looking out with a smile on her face.


    ¡°Sure, one-month birthday, two-month birthday, three-month birthday, four¡ª¡±


    Holding up my hands, I smiled politely. ¡°I get it. You don¡¯t have to count them all out for me.¡±


    Lifting her hand, she handed me the invite. ¡°You¡¯re more than welcome to come with Sierra. It would mean a whole lot to us to have Sierra there. Let her know for me, okay? I¡¯ve got to run.¡±


    Taking a few steps back, the woman lifted her hand and waved as she eye fucked the hell out of me. Licking her lips, she turned and walked away. I was pretty sure I heard her moan as she turned away from me.


    Shaking my head, I headed back into the house only to find Sierra in a laughing fit. ¡°Haha. Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice you left me high and dry out there. I feel like I need to take a shower with the way she was eye fucking me.¡±


    Throwing her head back and laughing, Sierra wrapped her arms around her waist and motioned with her hand for me to stop talking. ¡°Can¡¯t. Breathe.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not cool. You¡¯re going to be my wife in a couple days and you¡¯re laughing at me.¡±


    Sierra took a deep breath in and calmed herself down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just when I came walking out and saw her making a beeline toward you, I turned and hightailed it back into the house. That family is nuts! Do you know how many birthday parties I¡¯ve been to?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say at least eleven,¡± I said with a chuckle.


    Shaking her head, Sierra picked a box up and said, ¡°Ugh. As much as I¡¯m going to miss this house, I¡¯ll be so glad to be away from them. At least once a week she would bring me over¡ª¡±


    I opened the front door for Sierra to walk through when she let out a scream. ¡°Hey, Sierra!¡± The neighbor I had just been talking to was standing outside the door.


    ¡°Holy hell, you scared the piss out of me!¡± Sierra yelled out.


    The woman smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll never get used to the bad words that come out of your mouth, Sierra. I forgot to tell your boyfriend . . .¡±


    I could practically see the steam coming from Sierra¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Fianc¨¦,¡± Sierra said under her breath.


    The woman stuttered on her words for a brief moment before talking again, ¡°Right well, I forgot to mention it¡¯s a costume party. Everyone is dressing up like a character from Winnie the Pooh.¡±


    ¡°No way,¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Sierra, you would make a wonderful Eeyore!¡±


    Letting out a laugh, I pointed to Sierra as she turned and glared at me before looking back at her neighbor.


    ¡°Joyce, I¡¯m so sorry but we won¡¯t be able to make it.¡±

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    Joyce. Yep that name suites her. ¡°Oh no! Oh no!¡± Glancing over to me, Joyce ran her tongue along her top lip. ¡°What about you, will you be able to make it?¡±


    Sierra dropped the box she was holding . . . right on Joyce¡¯s foot. Joyce began hopping and jumping up and down as Sierra apologized over and over. Guiding the woman down the stairs, Sierra practically walked her back home. Running back toward me, Sierra turned and called out. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to put ice on that!¡±


    Setting the box into the back of my truck, I hid my laughter until Sierra stopped right in front of me. ¡°You¡¯re evil.¡±


    Lifting her eyebrow, Sierra said, ¡°She came on to my man. I don¡¯t think so, bitch.¡±


    Pulling her into my arms, I kissed her on the lips passionately. Wrapping her arms around me, Sierra moaned into my mouth. ¡°Two days and you¡¯re going to be mine.¡±


    Smiling against my lips, Sierra spoke. ¡°Are we moving too fast, Aaron?¡±


    ¡°Hell no.¡± Pulling back, I looked into Sierra¡¯s eyes. ¡°Sierra, if you want to wait, I¡¯ll wait as long as it takes. As long as I get to wake up every morning with you in my arms. That¡¯s all I care about.¡±


    Slamming her lips back to mine, Sierra grabbed a handful of hair and gave it a hard tug. ¡°I have to clean up the house since we¡¯re closing on it the day before the wedding. I figured I¡¯d just do it today. Kacey is coming over at four to pick up my bedroom set. After that, I plan on being naked in bed with you all night long.¡±


    Placing my hand on the side of her face, I brushed my thumb along her porcelain skin. ¡°I like that plan.¡±


    Kissing her again, I forced myself to let her go. ¡°I¡¯ll take this stuff back to my place. Don¡¯t forget we have to meet my parents for dinner tonight. Mom wants to finish up last-minute stuff for the wedding.¡±


    My heart slammed against my chest any time I thought about marrying Sierra this Saturday. Excitement and nerves both mixed together.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Okay, well I can hold off on getting naked until after dinner I guess.¡±


    Slapping Sierra on her ass, I said, ¡°Call me when you¡¯re on your way.¡±


    Walking over to the door with me, Sierra shut it and smiled. ¡°Okay. We should be finished up by five if not sooner.¡±


    A strange feeling washed over me as I glanced down the street and then back at Sierra¡¯s house. ¡°Do you want me to stay with you and help you clean?¡±


    Shaking her head, Sierra grinned sweetly. ¡°No. I¡¯ve got this, baby. It doesn¡¯t need much cleaning. I¡¯ll probably be bored waiting on Kacey.¡±


    Giving her a smile and a wink, I said, ¡°Sounds good, baby. Call me if you change your mine. See ya soon. I love you.¡±


    Blowing me a kiss, Sierra said, ¡°I love you too.¡±


    Backing out of Sierra¡¯s driveway, I headed down the street. As I looked in the rearview mirror I couldn¡¯t help but smile as she stood there and watched me drive off.


    Just a couple more days and she would be Mrs. Aaron Walker.


    WALKING INTO THE KITCHEN, I pulled a bottled water out of the refrigerator and took a drink. I¡¯d spent most of the afternoon cleaning. The only thing left in the house was my bedroom set Kacey was coming to pick up with her husband. Heading back into my bedroom, I began taking the drawers out of the dressers. Glancing at the clock I saw it was three. Kacey would be here in an hour. I wonder if she could come sooner? Sitting on the bed, I sent Kacey a text message.


    Me: Hey. If y¡¯all want to come over early feel free. I¡¯ve got everything out of the house.


    Kacey: Our truck won¡¯t start. Running to get a new battery and then we will head that way.


    The front door alarm beeped saying it had opened. Jumping up, I glanced over to the alarm box. Shit. I swore I set the alarm.


    I began walking out of my room when I called out, ¡°Aaron?¡± Walking into the kitchen, I set my cell phone down on the counter and made my way into the living room. Letting out a scream, I came to a stop as I came face to face with Robert standing in the middle of my living room. He smiled an evil smile as he tilted his head and looked at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m home, baby.¡±


    Swallowing hard, I tried to stay calm as I turned and headed to my bedroom. ¡°Robert, you need to get the hell out of my house now, or I¡¯m calling the cops!¡±


    Glancing over my shoulder, he just stood there smiling. The moment I stepped into my bedroom, I shut the door and locked it. Running over to the alarm box, I hit the silent panic button.


    Turning around, I stared at my bedroom door. ¡°Sierra, tell me what I hear is not true. You¡¯re getting married so soon after our divorce? You fucking slut! You belong to me, don¡¯t you know that, Sierra.¡±

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    Covering my mouth with my hands, I closed my eyes tightly. My cell phone began to ring, causing me to snap my eyes open. Fuck! I left it in the kitchen. It had to be the alarm company.


    ¡°Is that your lawyer calling, Sierra? How long were you fucking him? The whole time? Maybe before he took your case for his daddy. Is that why Mr. Walker¡¯s son took your case, Sierra? Because you were fucking him, you damn whore!¡±


    Jumping when Robert yelled out, I fought to contain my sobs. Shaking my head, I dropped my arms to my side and took in a deep breath. No. I will not let him do this to me again.


    The doorknob to the bedroom began to wiggle. ¡°You locked me out, baby? That hurts, Sierra. That really hurts. Open this damn door or I¡¯ll kick it in.¡±


    Quickly running to the closet, I looked at the small safe I had sitting there. For some reason I decided to keep it and walk out of the house with it last. Dropping to the floor, I started spinning the combination.


    Robert began banging on the door. ¡°Open the fucking door, you bitch!¡±


    My hands were shaking so bad, I kept messing up the combination. One more number to go.


    The door to the bedroom busted open as I screamed. The next thing I knew, Robert had grabbed a hold of my ponytail and pulled me backwards and dragged me out of the closet.


    ¡°Robert! Stop this! Please stop, this is not you!¡±


    Reaching down, he picked me up and grabbed a hold of my arms as he began to shake me. ¡°This isn¡¯t me. You drove me to this, Sierra! Do you know that? I only fucked those other women because I wanted it rough. I like to fuck in the ass, Sierra and I would never do that to you. You were my perfect angel. So beautiful and untouched.¡±


    Tears began to slide down my face as I looked into the eyes of a man I once loved. ¡°Why are you doing this? You didn¡¯t want me, Robert! You just said so.¡±


    Dropping his hands from my arms, Robert took a few steps back as he looked at me with a look of horror on his face. ¡°W-what?¡±


    Swallowing hard, I fought to keep my tears from falling. My heart felt like it was going to pound right out of my chest as I struggled to get air into my lungs. ¡°What do you mean I didn¡¯t want you?¡±


    Taking a step away from him, I said, ¡°You cheated multiple times on me, Robert. You don¡¯t go looking for something somewhere else. That¡¯s something you don¡¯t do to someone you love and want. You don¡¯t treat them like a piece of trash.¡±


    Pulling his head back he repeated my words. ¡°Treat them like a piece of trash? Is that what I did to you, Sierra? Treat you like trash? I gave you a nice home, took you on trips. I adored you.¡±


    His words cut through my heart like a knife. ¡°You adored me?¡± Letting out a laugh, I shook my head. ¡°You didn¡¯t fucking adore me! You fucked my best friend in that nice home I helped pay for, you dickhead!¡±


    Robert balled his fists together and took a few steps toward me. ¡°Why do you have to make me angry, Sierra? Do you know how many times I had to stop myself from getting rough with you during sex? I wanted to fuck you so hard you¡¯d feel me for hours after I dumped my load into you. I couldn¡¯t do that to perfection though, so I had to go looking for them. They had to be blonde like you. Blue eyes were a must so that when I was fucking them, I could pretend I was with you.¡±


    Looking away, I felt sick to my stomach with the way he was talking to me. ¡°Look at me, Sierra! I don¡¯t want to hurt you. I love you. I wanted you, Sierra. They were all just fillers.¡±


    Backing up, I bumped into the bed and had to stop. ¡°Robert, you don¡¯t love me.¡±


    Closing his eyes, he yelled out, ¡°I love you! Fucking don¡¯t tell me how I feel.¡± Quickly walking up to me, Robert grabbed my face with his hands and looked down at my lips.


    Air. I can¡¯t get in any air.


    My whole body shook in fear as he squeezed my face. ¡°You¡¯re. Hurting. Me,¡± I whispered.


    Moving his lips to my ear, Robert spoke softly. ¡°Tell me you love me, Sierra.¡±


    Closing my eyes, I felt my tears fall. ¡°I don¡¯t love you, Robert.¡±


    ¡°Open your fucking eyes and look at me, Sierra.¡±


    Doing as he said, I quickly looked in my closet. ¡°Do I need to remind you of the love we had for each other?¡±


    A sob escaped my lips as I whispered, ¡°No.¡±


    Aaron. Oh God. I need you, Aaron.


    Before I knew what was happening, Robert forced me onto the bed and began unbuttoning my shorts as I kicked and punched at him.


    ¡°No! Stop this now, Robert, or I swear to God I¡¯ll kill you!¡± I screamed out. My cell phone began ringing again, but this time it was Aaron¡¯s ringtone. Where in the hell were the cops? I didn¡¯t answer my cell when the alarm company called, so they should have called the cops.

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    Robert was working hard at getting my shorts off but I fought him back with all my might. Damn it! I was starting to get tired and Robert had managed to pin my left arm above my head.


    ¡°Sierra! Stop fighting me. Let me remind you what we had together.¡±


    Closing my eyes, I fought as hard as I could. ¡°Get the hell off of me, you sick fucker!¡± I screamed as I punched with my free hand and fiercely kicked with my legs. Then he was gone. Opening my eyes, I quickly sat up and covered my mouth as I watched Aaron push Robert against the wall. ¡°You fucking piece of shit. Keep your hands off of her!¡±


    Scrambling up and off the bed, I ran to the closet. Glancing over my shoulder, Aaron punched Robert and then Robert punched Aaron. Screaming, I turned and finished the combination. A loud crash caused me to scream and look over my shoulder. Oh God! Robert has pushed Aaron and he feel into one of the end tables next to my bed. Robert began kicking Aaron as I screamed out, ¡°Aaron! Robert, stop this!¡±


    Hearing sirens off in the distance, I opened the safe and pulled out my pistol and quickly stood back up. Aaron had Robert pinned against the wall as he kept punching him. Aaron punched him hard across his left cheek; it caused Robert to fall down and pass out. Aaron stood over him and pulled out his cell phone as I walked up to Robert. He was passed out and lying on the floor.


    ¡°Dad, I made it in time. They¡¯re almost here,¡± Aaron said from behind me.


    Looking down at my ex-husband, my body shuddered as I thought of what he had almost done to me. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and slowly pointed the gun at him. Opening my eyes, I let out the breath I had been holding and tried to steady my shaking hands.


    Aaron walked up next to me and softly began to talk. ¡°Sierra, baby, I need you to give me the gun.¡±


    ¡°He tried to rape me,¡± I said as my voice cracked.


    Aaron softly touched my arm. I felt his love rush through my body, and I knew I was okay. Everything was going to be okay because Aaron saved me. He¡¯d kept his promise and kept Robert from hurting me. Turning to Aaron, I let my tears fall freely again. ¡°He tried . . . but you came . . . Aaron you came.¡± Dropping my hands, Aaron quickly took the gun from my hand and pulled me into his arms as the police came rushing into my house.


    Burying my face in Aaron¡¯s chest, I tried to block everything out. Robert had begun to wake up as the police rushed into the bedroom. Attempting to stand up, Robert started moaning. The police quickly began handcuffing Robert as he started yelling out, ¡°Sierra! You belong to me! Only me!¡±


    The police led Robert out of the house as he kept shouting over and over how I belonged to him.


    Once Robert was out of the house, Aaron poured me a glass of water as he kept his arm wrapped around my waist. Brice walked into the kitchen and breathed a sigh of relief as he looked between Aaron and me. ¡°He will sit in jail for a very long time, sweetheart.¡±


    Smiling weakly, I attempted to talk but nothing came out.


    Brice gave Aaron a look that told me he wanted to talk to Aaron alone.


    Kate walked in, and I immediately felt tears build in my eyes. Quickly making my way over to her, she wrapped me up in her arms as she spoke softly to me.


    ¡°Shh, he won¡¯t ever touch you again, darling girl. Aaron and Brice will make sure of it.¡±


    Leading me away from the kitchen and outside, I let myself relax into Kate¡¯s arms. These last few months she had become the mother I longed for since my own mother passed away. Her fight and win with cancer showed me how strong she was, and I strived to be half the woman she was.


    Walking me to her car, I stopped and turned to her. ¡°I don¡¯t like feeling this way, Kate. He made me feel weak. He took something from me, and I¡¯m not sure how to react to that.¡±


    Giving me a smile that caused my heart to melt, Kate placed her hand on the side of my face. ¡°Baby girl, he didn¡¯t take a damn thing from you. You fought him off and you kept him away. He may have scared you and made you feel vulnerable, but he didn¡¯t take anything away from you.¡±


    My lower lip quivered as I said, ¡°What if Aaron hadn¡¯t showed up?¡±


    Shaking her head. ¡°There is no what if¡¯s in life. Everything happens for a reason on a set course. What if I had never gotten cancer? What if you had never met my son? What if you had never caught Robert cheating? We could play that game all day long. What is in front of us, Sierra, is that you held off a man who wanted to hurt you. You did it until someone came to help. You were strong enough to fight him and he didn¡¯t get to take that away from you. That is what we focus on. Nothing else.¡±

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    The woman standing before me was beyond amazing. In the short amount of time I had known her, she had changed me. Kate was strong, yet admitted her weaknesses. She was caring, yet no one pushed her around. She wasn¡¯t afraid to take a chance, but always proceeded with caution. Come Saturday, I would become her daughter-in-law, and she would become the mother I had longed for.


    Nodding my head, I smiled at Kate. ¡°Thank you, Kate. Thank you for being the mother-figure I hadn¡¯t realized I had longed for all these years. I¡¯m honored to be your future daughter-in-law.¡±


    Pressing her lips together in an attempt not to cry, Kate looked away for a moment before turning back to me. ¡°Oh, Sierra, my darling girl.¡± Kate¡¯s voice faltered as she blinked her eyes rapidly, causing me to do the same. ¡°I¡¯m the one who is honored to be gaining another daughter. Aaron has no idea how lucky he is.¡±


    Trying to find my voice, I wiped a tear from my cheek. ¡°Oh, Kate, I¡¯m the one who is lucky. Besides my father, I¡¯ve never had anyone love me like your son. My life without him would be nothing.¡±


    Glancing up, I saw Aaron and Brice walking out. Aaron¡¯s eyes caught mine and his smile instantly calmed my crazy heartbeat. Shaking his father¡¯s hand, Aaron made his way over to me. Kissing his mother on the cheek, he turned to me. ¡°They just need a statement and then we are good to go.¡± Looking at his mother, who was now leaning into Brice as he wrapped his arms around her, Aaron said, ¡°Mom, is it okay if we push dinner off and do breakfast tomorrow?¡±


    Waving her hand, Kate said, ¡°We are good to go. Everything is set and ready to go for Saturday. I want you and Sierra to just spend some time together. Don¡¯t worry about a thing.¡±


    My heart felt as if it was going to explode, I was so blessed with Kate and Brice. I couldn¡¯t even imagine Aaron and his father being at odds with as close as they had become the last few months.


    ¡°Kate, are you sure?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want to stick you with everything."


    Giving me a big grin Kate said, ¡°Oh please, I¡¯m loving this. Now, Aaron, you take Sierra, and Brice will make sure everything here at the house is secure.¡±


    Turning to leave with Brice, I remembered Kacey. ¡°Kacey! She¡¯s coming to get the furniture.¡±


    Aaron wrapped his arm around my waist and led me to his truck. ¡°I already took care of it. They¡¯re coming tomorrow morning. Em and her boyfriend, Zach, are going to meet them here.¡±


    Feeling utterly exhausted all of a sudden, I stepped into Aaron¡¯s truck. Turning to him, I asked, ¡°Can we just go home? I want to forget this day ever happened, and the only way I can is to be snuggled on the sofa and in your arms.¡±


    Something in Aaron¡¯s eyes changed as he looked at me. I¡¯d never seen him look so happy and yet so sad. Lifting his hand up, he placed it on the side of my face and it felt as if my whole body warmed with that one touch. ¡°I think that sounds like the perfect way to spend the rest of the day.¡±


    Pulling my head back, I narrowed my eyes at him. ¡°Um . . . yeah no. We snuggle for a bit and then you¡¯re taking me out to dinner and then somewhere for an adventure. I want to end this day together . . . laughing and being . . . us.¡±


    Aaron¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Holy shit! I have the perfect place!¡± Kissing me quickly on my lips, Aaron shut his door, fist pumped and then dialed someone on his cell phone as he slowly walked around the front of his truck. Looking back at me, he started laughing.


    Shaking my head, I whispered, ¡°Oh, holy hell. What does he have planned?¡±


    THE MOMENT SIERRA MENTIONED SHE wanted to go on an adventure, I knew exactly what we were going to do. Quickly calling Em, I told her to meet me at iFly at seven. I thought Em was going to come through the phone and kiss me she was so excited.


    Jumping back into the truck, I gave Sierra a wink as she eyed me suspiciously. ¡°You have that look in your eyes.¡±


    Shrugging my shoulders, I asked, ¡°What look?¡±


    Pulling out of the driveway, I headed back to my house as I reached over and took Sierra¡¯s hand in mine. ¡°That look, Aaron. Like you¡¯re planning something I¡¯m either going to love . . . or hate . . . or possibly both.¡±


    Laughing, I shook my head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean. I¡¯m planning a simple night out with Em and Zach. Spending some time with my two favorite girls.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. Am I at any point this evening going to utter the words, dickhead, bastard or you son-of-a-bitch?¡±


    Damn, Sierra, knew me so well. Taking a peek over at her, I chuckled and looked straight ahead.

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    ¡°Oh shit. I¡¯m going with son-of-a-bitch,¡± Sierra said as she stared straight ahead.


    Once we got home and Sierra walked into my house, she practically collapsed onto the sofa. Pulling her into my arms, I held her while she cried. I knew she was trying to be brave and that broke my heart in two. In no time at all, Sierra was asleep in my arms.


    Holding her close to me, I vowed I would never allow anything like what happened today to happen to her again. Blowing out a breath, I closed my eyes and thought back to earlier today when I got a terrible feeling in my gut. My parents have always told me to listen to my gut, and I¡¯m damn glad I did. The moment I pulled away from the house that morning, something felt off.


    Then when Sierra¡¯s alarm to her house sent me a text, I knew right away it was that asshole. The fucker was lucky I didn¡¯t kill him. Anger began to boil up inside of me as Sierra stirred in my arms. I promised her I¡¯d never let him touch her again and I failed her. Fucking hell.


    Kissing her gently on the forehead, I whispered, ¡°No one will ever hurt you again. I promise you, Sierra. As God as my witness, I will protect you with my whole being.¡±


    My eyes grew heavy as I leaned my head back and closed them. Sleep soon took over as I held the one person I would love forever and always.


    Waking up to Princess jumping on me, I yelled for her to get down off the sofa. ¡°You know better, you big ole baby.¡±


    My sixty-pound golden retriever jumped off the sofa as Sierra stretched and let out a soft moan that rushed through my veins and caused my dick to jump. As much as I wanted her, I didn¡¯t want to do anything to upset her or make her feel uncomfortable.


    Sliding out from under Sierra, I glanced at my watch. ¡°Shit, we better get ready for dinner and our night out.¡±


    Sierra¡¯s eyes were filled with something I¡¯d never seen before, and it scared the piss out of me. ¡°Okay,¡± she whispered as she stood up and gave me a weak smile.


    Keeping my distance from her for fear I wouldn¡¯t be able to control myself, I headed into the master bedroom and grabbed a change of clothes. Sierra walked in behind me and immediately looked at the bed. Turning back to me, she smiled and raised her eyebrows.


    Damn it. What was going through her mind? Was she thinking about what that asshole did to her? Shaking my head, I turned and looked away as I fought to control my anger. Quickly walking into the bathroom, I turned on the cold water and began splashing my face. Sierra telling the police what happened in detail had me feeling sick to my stomach. What if I hadn¡¯t gone back? Would he have raped her? How could he do something like that to someone he claimed to love?


    Looking up into the mirror, I pushed my hands through my hair and cursed under my breath.


    Sierra walked up to me and wrapped her arms around my waist as she kissed my back. ¡°I won¡¯t break, Aaron. Your touch is the only thing that will keep me sane right now. Please don¡¯t pull away from me. My head is spinning right now with questions as to why you won¡¯t touch me or look at me like you want me.¡±


    Pulling her arms from around my waist, I spun around. Cupping her face with my hands I took her all in. She was breathtaking. Beautiful beyond any words I could use to describe her. ¡°Sierra. I¡¯m not pulling away, baby. I feel the same way. I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going through your head. I¡¯d never want to push you or make you feel uncomfortable in any way. Baby, I want to make love to you so bad, it¡¯s physically hurting my body to keep from touching you.¡±


    Giving me a smile that literally made my knees shake, Sierra whispered, ¡°Make love to me, Aaron. Please push today away and fill me with your love.¡±


    Pressing my lips to Sierra¡¯s, I reached down and picked her up. Carrying her over to the bed, I gently placed her down as we never broke contact with our lips.


    I spent the next five minutes kissing her and telling her how much I loved her as I moved my hands over her body. It didn¡¯t take long for us to both be naked as I continued to worship her body with my hands and lips. Needing for her to know how much I loved her, I took my time.


    Sierra¡¯s back arched as I slipped my fingers inside of her and sucked in her lower lip. Whispering my name against my lips, Sierra let out a soft moan as I deepened our kiss yet again. Slipping her fingers through my hair, Sierra pulled hard as she purred, ¡°More.¡±


    Moving over her, I looked deep within her blue eyes. The love I saw had my heart racing as I saw nothing but my future with this stubborn, smart-ass woman who, next to my mother, was the strongest woman I¡¯d ever known.


    Pushing slowly inside her, I softly kissed her lips. ¡°Look into my eyes, Sierra. Do you see how much I love you? If you could look into my soul, you¡¯d see you fill it completely.¡±

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    A tear slowly moved down Sierra¡¯s cheek. ¡°Everything I do in this life, Sierra, I do it for you. You are my life and my very reason for being. I¡¯d lay down my life for you. I need you to know that.¡±


    Pressing her lips together, Sierra closed her eyes briefly before opening them and capturing my eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll never begin to know how you make me feel. Never in my life . . . have I felt so . . . loved and worshiped. I love you so much, Aaron. I¡¯ve never felt like this before. Ever.¡±


    Kissing Sierra softly, I slowly made love to her. When I couldn¡¯t hold off any longer, I poured myself into her and knew in that very moment what I wanted more than anything.


    To be Sierra¡¯s husband and the father of her children.


    WHEN AARON PULLED UP TO In and Out Burger, I died laughing. ¡°This is where you¡¯re taking me for dinner?¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah. Best burgers around,¡± Aaron said as he jumped out of his truck and ran to my side. Opening the door, I pushed him out of the way and turned to glare at him.


    Placing my hands on my hips, I shook my head. ¡°You are not a true Texan.¡±


    Jerking his head back, Aaron curled his lip and grimaced. ¡°Did you really just say that to me? I¡¯ll have you know, hanging in my bedroom at my parents¡¯ house is a birth certificate from the state of Texas stating I¡¯m a Texas native. I am Texan, one hundred percent, baby.¡±


    ¡°Texas birth certificate? As opposed to?¡±


    Letting out a gruff laugh Aaron gave me a smirk. ¡°You¡¯re just jealous because you don¡¯t have the giant framed birth certificate stating you¡¯re a native Texan.¡±


    Tilting my head, I gave him a look like he was stupid. ¡°Um . . . dipshit. I don¡¯t need one. My actual birth certificate states where I was born. Texas. Why do I need a special one that says the same thing?¡±


    Pointing at me and yelling, ¡°Ha! See. You don¡¯t value your true heritage. If you did, you¡¯d be shouting from the tree tops that you¡¯re a native Texan.¡±


    Dropping my mouth open, I glared at Aaron. ¡°What did you just say? Um . . . excuse me, dickhead, but you¡¯re the one standing in the parking lot of an In and Out Burger that¡¯s from California. Where had I been driving, we would be standing in the parking lot of Mighty Fine Burgers. You know . . . the burger joint started by true Texans.¡±


    Aaron placed his hands over his heart as if I had mortally wounded him. Letting out a giggle, I felt the weight of what happened today slowly lift away. I would not let Robert win. He would not strip me of my happiness.


    Aaron reached for my hand and tried to lead me into the no-go zone. Stopping when he realized I wasn¡¯t moving, he let out a small chuckle. ¡°Oh my God, are you serious? You¡¯re really not going to eat here?¡±


    Shaking my head, I said, ¡°Nope. I don¡¯t even care if one of my favorite authors ever loves this place. I¡¯m not going in.¡±


    Aaron looked at me and asked, ¡°Which author? Is she one who makes you laugh? Turns you on?¡± Wiggling his eyebrows, he pulled me into his arms. ¡°If you were a true fan, you¡¯d eat here just because one of your favorite authors loves this place.¡±


    Giving Aaron a sly smile, I felt the butterflies dance in my stomach as he leaned his forehead against mine. ¡°She made me cry.¡±


    Aaron frowned as he rubbed his nose against mine. ¡°Oh, baby. Good cry or bad cry?¡±


    Looking away, I thought about poor Chase. How could she? Fighting the tears, I looked back at Aaron. ¡°I¡¯d rather not talk about it. Damn it, let¡¯s just eat here. I¡¯m starving and the more we talk about this, the more I shrivel up from hunger.¡±


    After being forced to eat in a no-go zone, we finally started making our way to where Aaron said the true fun would begin. I had to admit, I was excited as hell, and my tumbling stomach was the proof. I knew it wasn¡¯t going to be anything fancy, seeing has how Aaron told me to dress in shorts, a T-shirt, and sneakers.


    Aaron got on the highway and headed north. ¡°Um . . . are you going to tell me where we¡¯re going?¡±


    Shaking his head, Aaron laughed. Not just a simple, nah I¡¯m not going to let you in on my secret, laugh, but more like a I¡¯ve got an evil plan up my sleeve kind of laugh.


    Rolling my eyes, I shrugged my shoulders in an attempt to make it seem like I didn¡¯t care Aaron was keeping me in the dark. Secretly it was killing me. Killing me!


    Then it happened. Aaron pulled into the iFly parking lot . . . and parked. Oh hell no. He is crazy insane if he thinks I¡¯m going to partake in this.


    I was about to ask him if he was lost when I saw Em come running up to the truck flailing her arms about in a crazy manner. Aaron threw his door open and jumped out of the truck.

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    Opening the door to the truck, I got out and made my way around to the front where Em ran past me and into Aaron¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Em said as she hugged Aaron. ¡°Oh my gosh, I¡¯m so excited. This time I¡¯m going to try for six somersaults in a row without throwing up!¡±


    Covering my mouth in an attempt not to start gagging, I glanced over to poor Zach, who had a horrified look on his face. Turning to me, he mouthed, help me.


    Giggling, I shook my head and made my way over to the brother and sister freak show. Placing my hands on my hips, I cleared my throat. Aaron and Em turned and looked between Zach and me.


    Em smiled from ear to ear. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You both look like Debbie downers!¡±


    Zach let out a nervous chuckle. ¡°Um . . . Em . . . I¡¯m kind of . . . well . . . I mean . . . I¡¯m um. Well how do I say this?¡±


    ¡°Jesus, son, spit it the hell out,¡± Aaron said.


    Em hit Aaron on the chest. ¡°Stop it, Aaron.¡± Turning back to Zach, Em gave him her full attention. ¡°Baby, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s afraid of heights . . . like me. If you think for one moment we¡¯re going to strap on some stupid looking flying gear and fly around in a tube made for giant rats . . . you¡¯re both insane.¡±


    Zach looked at me and said, ¡°How did you know I was afraid of heights?¡±


    ¡°When fear looks fear in the eyes and begs for help . . . it¡¯s clear. You¡¯re afraid of heights.¡±


    Aaron laughed as he waved both Zach and me off. ¡°Nonsense. Y¡¯all are going to have a blast. You asked for an adventure, baby.¡± Aaron pointed to the iFly building. ¡°Here it is.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me walking down your parents¡¯ steps in a cast Saturday? Do you?¡± I said as I jetted out my lower lip in a serious pout, hoping it would tug on Aaron¡¯s heart.


    Rolling his eyes, he grabbed my hand and dragged me into the building. For one brief moment I thought about throwing myself to the ground, but I thought better.


    After getting signed up, going through our ¡®skydiving class,¡¯ we were given our flying gear. Slipping it on, I kept glancing around the room. Em and Aaron were already flying high, and I suspected they came here often. Zach looked like he was ready to crawl into the corner and start rocking back and forth. And me . . . I felt like I was looking into the next twelve hours of my life. Sitting in the ER waiting for either an arm or a leg to be put in a cast.


    ¡°I¡¯ll never get to see my wedding,¡± I mumbled under my breath as Aaron and Em high fived each other and made their way to the giant rat tube.


    The second I saw the people in the tube, I felt sick. ¡°Oh hell the fuck no!¡± I said as everyone turned and looked at me.


    ¡°Sierra!¡± Em said with her eyes about bulging out of her head.


    My fearless fianc¨¦ who vowed never to let me be hurt laughed his ass off. The instructor smiled and looked at us. ¡°All right, looks like once this party is over, it¡¯s just us!¡±


    Em started jumping up and down as Aaron fist pumped. Who was this man? Maybe it was good I was seeing this side of him before I married him.


    The instructor turned and looked at me as if waiting for my response. ¡°Oh yay!¡± I mumbled as I looked at Zach, who I¡¯m pretty sure was reciting the Our Father prayer.


    ¡°Who wants to go first?¡± the instructor asked. Em and Aaron pushed each other out of the way as I shook my head in disgust.


    Zach moved closer to me and whispered, ¡°If they go first, we can make a run for it.¡±


    Pursing my lips, I thought about Zach¡¯s suggestion for a few seconds. ¡°They¡¯ll just come after us. Besides, I don¡¯t think I could run in this jumpsuit if you paid me.¡±


    ¡°Damn. It feels like it¡¯s cutting off my balls,¡± Zach said as he picked up his leg and shook it. Staring at him, I slowly shook my head and rolled my eyes.


    Men.


    After calming down Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the instructor informed them I was going first. Glaring at him as he smiled at me, I silently put a curse on the instructor and wished like hell I knew how to build one of those stupid voodoo dolls.


    Nodding my head, I slapped my hands together and said, ¡°All right. I got this!¡±


    Aaron and Em cheered me on as Zach quickly wished the best for me. Bastard.


    The instructor stepped in first and stood on what I swear looked like chicken wire. Pointing to it, I shouted, ¡°Will that hold me if I fall?¡±


    Nodding, he said, ¡°You won¡¯t fall though.¡±


    Pulling me out, I did as they taught us and put my hands out. I felt like freaking Superman as I hovered over giant machines. The force of wind was so strong I was pretty sure I could go through my entire life never feeling the strength of it ever again. Gripping onto the instructor, he tried to get me to let go.

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    Oh hell no. I¡¯m an educated woman. I¡¯m not stupid!


    ¡°Let go!¡± he mouthed, since it was so damn loud I couldn¡¯t even hear my own screaming voices in my head.


    Shaking my head, I held on tighter.


    He mouthed, ¡°You¡¯ve got to let go!¡±


    Sticking my tongue out at the instructor, only because I didn¡¯t dare let go and give him the finger, I shouted, ¡°No, I don¡¯t!¡± But I¡¯m pretty sure he didn¡¯t hear me.


    After a few minutes, the instructor realized this was not going to happen, we finally moved out of the giant rat tube, and I was back with my feet on the ground.


    Glancing over to Zach, I pointed and said, ¡°Do you love Em?¡±


    He nodded and looked over to where Em and Aaron were currently making their game plan. Turning back to me, he took in a deep breath and walked to the tube. Not before letting out a whimper.


    ¡°Suck it up! You¡¯re a damn UT football player, dude. This is embarrassing,¡± I said as I looked at him.


    His eyes widened as he said, ¡°Right. Right. I just need to get my head in the game.¡±


    Slowly moving to the rat tube, poor Zach cursed under his breath and jumped.


    Once his adventure was over, he slowly made his way over to me and sat down on the bench. Pulling off the helmet, he dropped it to the floor. ¡°That was the scariest thing I¡¯ve ever encountered in my entire life.¡±


    Nodding my head, I watched as Aaron and Em ran into the tube and went all the way to the top.


    Letting out a long sigh, I gave Zach a pat on the back. ¡°To think she¡¯s the adventurous one of the two.¡±


    Zach turned me with a deadpan stare. ¡°I see zip-lining in your future, dude.¡±


    Closing his eyes, Zach let a moan slip from between his lips followed by a fuck. Smiling, I made a mental note to suggest zip-lining to Em for Zach¡¯s birthday.


    STANDING ON THE BACK PORCH, I slowly drank my coffee as I looked out over the Texas hill country. Smiling, I thought back to some memories of Em and I running all over this place when we were kids. My parents owned twenty-five acres along Barton Creek, and I couldn¡¯t be happier knowing today I was going to marry Sierra at one of my favorite spots.


    Smiling, I chuckled to myself as I thought about waking up this morning and feeling like I was on cloud nine. My mother had insisted Sierra and I not see each other after the rehearsal dinner last night. Letting her have her way, I spent the evening with my dad, Lark, and Tristan. We played poker until three in the morning when my father finally wiped us all out of money.


    Hearing the back door open, I glanced over my shoulder to see Lark coming out. Lark and I had really gotten to know each other when I went to South Padre Island. Tristan had invited his and Ryn¡¯s close friends to take part in when he asked Ryn to marry him. Some might say our group of friends is a bit strange, but we make it work.


    Lark gave me a wink and sat down. ¡°Nervous?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± I said with a smile.


    ¡°Liar.¡±


    Laughing, I sat down next to Lark. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not nervous. I love Sierra and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I¡¯m ready for this.¡±


    Lark nodded his head. ¡°I meant are you nervous you¡¯re going to call her by another girl¡¯s name when you take your vows, or maybe trip and break your leg before y¡¯all go off on your honeymoon.¡±


    Slowly turning my head, my mouth gaped open as I stared at Lark. ¡°W-what?¡±


    Shrugging his shoulders he said, ¡°You know . . . nervous that in some way you¡¯re gonna fuck this special day up for her and years from now she still be reminding you of how you ruined her one special day.¡± Winking at me, he said, ¡°I so could see Sierra bringing that shit up all the time.¡±


    Swallowing hard, I pulled my head back then let out a nervous laugh. ¡°Why . . . I mean . . . an old girlfriend¡¯s name? Why would you even plant that in my head, for Christ¡¯s sake?¡±


    Tossing his head back and laughing, Lark said, ¡°To fuck with you. Why else?¡±


    Tristan came walking out yawning as he pulled up a seat next me. ¡°So you¡¯re the last to tie the knot. How¡¯s it feel? Scared? Nervous you¡¯re gonna say another girl¡¯s name?¡±


    Jumping up, I spun around glared at the both of them. Looking between both, I pointed my finger. ¡°You bastards! You did that on purpose. There is no way in hell I¡¯d ever say another women¡¯s name. I love, Sierra. She is the love of my life.¡±


    Tristan looked over to Lark and said, ¡°Holy shit. He¡¯s cracking before the day is even started.¡±

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    Lark smirked and nodded his head. Looking back to Tristan, I asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t plan it with him to ask me that?¡±


    Tristan wore a confused as hell look on his face as he shook his head and said, ¡°Um . . . no. You feeling okay there, buddy? I mean I know we all get a little nervous and all, but you seem to be on edge.¡±


    Rolling my eyes and letting out a sigh, I turned and sat back down. ¡°I¡¯m not nervous. Or at least I wasn¡¯t nervous until dickhead here had to say something about me bringing up an old girlfriend¡¯s name at the wedding.¡± Pointing to Tristan, I said, ¡°Then you came out and said damn near the same thing.¡±


    Tristan chuckled. ¡°Dude, it happens to the best of us.¡±


    Turning to Tristan, I said, ¡°It didn¡¯t happen to you.¡± Glancing back at Lark, I asked, ¡°Did it happen to you?¡±


    Lark looked like he was offended. ¡°Fuck no, I didn¡¯t call her by another girl¡¯s name. How dare you accuse me of that, you asshole.¡±


    ¡°Hey! You just accused me of doing it, dickhead,¡± I said as I punched Lark in the arm.


    ¡°All right, boys, settle down,¡± my mother said as she walked out and smacked me on the head. Rubbing my hand on the back of my head, I glared at Lark who smirked and gave me the finger.


    ¡°Real mature,¡± I said as my mother cleared her throat.


    ¡°Boys, I need you to get your game faces on. The wedding is in a few hours, and we still have a number of things to take care of.¡±


    Lark stood up and said, ¡°We will take care of everything, Mrs. Walker. Don¡¯t you worry that pretty little head of yours.¡±


    My mother blushed and brushed Lark off with her hand. ¡°Oh, you sweet talker, you. You take care of that pregnant wife of yours.¡±


    Smiling, Lark said, ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am, you know I will.¡±


    Dropping my mouth open, I watched as Lark headed back into the house. Tristan stood up and said, ¡°Maybe we should start with getting all the chairs out on the lawn and everything?¡±


    Clapping her hand, my mother said, ¡°Yes! Oh, Tristan, we would be lost without you this weekend.¡±


    I was pretty sure my mouth was now dragging the ground. Patting my mother sweetly on the arm, Tristan headed into the house as I watched him walk away with a shit-eating grin on his face.


    Those bastards. They managed to infiltrate my mother!


    Turning back to her, I was about to start talking when she held up her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk. I want to spend some bonding time together.¡±


    Smiling, I held my arm out as my mother took it and began walking alongside me.


    ¡°Bonding time, huh?¡± I asked as I raised my eyebrow at her.


    Looking straight ahead, my mother inhaled through her nose and let out a contented sigh. ¡°I¡¯ve always loved our walks, Aaron. Do you remember the walk we took before you graduated high school?¡±


    Nodding my head, I let out a small chuckle. ¡°Of course I do. I remember all of our walks, Mom.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember what you said to me about when you found someone to love forever?¡±


    Frowning, I thought back to that conversation. Letting out a laugh, I said, ¡°I must have forgotten that part of the conversation.¡±


    Glancing at me, my mother stared at me through her eyelashes. ¡°Uh-huh. Well let me refresh your memory, son.¡± We walked for a bit in silence as we made our way to the creek. Stopping at a bench, my mother motioned for me to sit down.


    ¡°You told me you were never going to get married.¡±


    Laughing, I shook my head. ¡°I do remember that.¡±


    Smiling, she looked into my eyes. ¡°Of course, at the time I knew that wasn¡¯t a true statement. I knew your heart was like mine, guarded and locked up tight waiting for that one person to come along and unlock it.¡±


    ¡°I waited a long time, Mom,¡± I said as my voice faltered.


    Placing her hand on the side of my face, she nodded. ¡°I know you did. The wait was worth it though, was it not?¡±


    Thinking back to the first time I ever saw Sierra, I knew then she was different from any other girl I had ever known. I fought the instant feelings rushing through my body, but even then, I knew deep down she was more. ¡°Very much worth the wait.¡± Taking in a breath, I slowly blew it out. ¡°Mom, may I ask you something?¡±


    Looking back over the creek, my mother whispered, ¡°Always.¡±


    Taking in a shallow breath, I asked the question I¡¯d been longing to know. ¡°Were you afraid when you were diagnosed with cancer?¡±


    Still staring straight ahead, my mother smiled slightly. ¡°Terrified. But then your father took my face in his hands and looked deep into my soul and said we would fight it together. In that moment, I knew I would win because I had your father¡¯s love behind me. Love is a powerful tool, Aaron. It can be used in a good way or a bad way. Like for instance your father strong arming you back into his practice.¡±

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    Letting out a gruff laugh, I said, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s for sure. But I don¡¯t regret it at all, Mom. I¡¯ve never been happier in my life. I¡¯m glad Dad did what he did. I know deep down inside why he was doing it. Had he not done it, I might not be marrying Sierra today.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± my mother said with a smile. ¡°Are you nervous, Aaron?¡±


    My body slumped and I shook my head. ¡°No! Why does everyone keep asking me that?¡± Sitting up, I felt my heart rate increase at just the thought of making Sierra my wife. ¡°I¡¯m beyond thrilled. To know I¡¯m going to be spending the rest of my life with the woman I love . . . it makes my heart feel like it could explode. Sierra is the reason for my very being.¡±


    Wiping a tear from her eye, my mother wrapped her arm around my waist. ¡°To hear you speak such words just fills my heart with joy. Next it will be grandchildren.¡±


    I let out a laugh and then stopped when my heart fell to the ground and my mouth went instantly dry. What in the hell? Grandchildren.


    ¡°Um. Grandchildren? Let us first get married, Mom.¡±


    Resting her head on my shoulder, my mother sighed in contentment as we both sat there in silence and stared out over the creek.


    The morning had been spent setting everything up. People were coming and going as chairs were set up. A giant tent was put up with one half of the tent filled with beautifully decorated tables and chairs, and the other half a make-shift dance floor.


    Jesus, if this was just for family and close friends, I couldn¡¯t imagine what a wedding with two hundred or more people would be like. We were doing good with the eighty people we had.


    Looking across the living room, I saw Sierra¡¯s father. Walking up to him, I remembered Sierra telling me about her dad¡¯s early days working for the Italian mob. Stopping just shy of him, I stuck my hand out.


    ¡°Paul, did you get a good sleep last night?¡± I asked as Sierra¡¯s father glared at me.


    Oh for Christ¡¯s sake. That¡¯s the best I could do? I¡¯m fixin¡¯ to marry his daughter and I asked if he got enough sleep.


    Nodding his head slowly, he said, ¡°I did. Thank you, Aaron. What about you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. Played poker with my buddies and my father. He took us to the cleaners.¡±


    Paul attempted to hide his smile but failed. ¡°Is that so? You like to play poker?¡±


    Oh shit. Was this a trick question? I still hadn¡¯t learned how to read Sierra¡¯s father. He could just be asking or he could be hinting at a gambling problem.


    Fuck. Okay . . . hell I got this. Settle down, Aaron. This is a piece of cake.


    ¡°Every now and then it¡¯s fun to get together with my father or a few friends and play some Texas Hold ¡®Em. Not much of a real gambler though.¡±


    Narrowing his eyes and tilting his head, Paul eyed me up and down. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is I wouldn¡¯t ever want to bring you to Vegas. ¡®Cause I love Vegas.¡±


    Holding up my hands, I laughed. ¡°Well now, don¡¯t get me wrong, I love Vegas too. Hell, I¡¯ve had some fun times in Vegas and had a few awesome one niii . . . um . . . I um . . . I enjoy Vegas occasionally. I¡¯d rather be home, with Sierra, any day though.¡±


    ¡°Nice recovery, son. I already know of your ways before my daughter.¡±


    Jerking my head back, I asked, ¡°My ways, sir?¡±


    Taking in a breath and pushing it out quickly, Paul shook his head as he looked down and then back into my eyes. ¡°What was before Sierra is just that. Before Sierra. I sowed my wild oats, son, and made plenty of mistakes. One of those mistakes was being unfaithful to my wife.¡±


    Swallowing hard, I wasn¡¯t sure what to say.


    ¡°I regretted it the moment it happened. Blamed alcohol and really all it was was my own weakness. She told me if I had truly loved her, even alcohol wouldn¡¯t have played a part in my decision to betray her. I swore to her it would never happen again, and it never did, but every day I walked out the door she would look at me different than before. As if, in her mind she was wondering if I would remain faithful. The day she died, I swore to her I would never let our daughter feel that pain. I failed that promise. But I promise you, I won¡¯t fail again. You ever so much as touch another woman besides your wife, or do anything to hurt my daughter . . . I¡¯ll have you killed.¡±


    Holy freaking shit. I¡¯m pretty sure I just pissed in my pants.


    Then it all hit me in one moment. Robert had only been in jail two days before he was beaten so badly he had to be sent to the hospital. ¡°Holy shit. Robert getting beaten up in jail, was that . . . did you . . . I mean¡ª¡± Leaning in closer, I asked, ¡°Are you still in the . . . you know?¡±

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    Giving me a smile that was not meant to make me feel better, I took a step back. Paul took a step closer to me. ¡°Let¡¯s say I have¡ªconnections.¡±


    Sweat began to bead at my brow as I nodded my head. Letting out a nervous chuckle, I said, ¡°Well, you won¡¯t need them for me, I can tell ya that! I¡¯m already talking to my mother about grandkids for Christ¡¯s sake.¡±


    Paul¡¯s eyes softened and his face lit up. ¡°Grandkids?¡±


    Oh fuck.


    Tristan walked up to me and slapped me on the back, scaring the hell out of me. ¡°Aaron, it¡¯s time to get dressed and get ready. Paul, it¡¯s good seeing you again.¡±


    Paul reached his hand out and shook Tristan¡¯s. ¡°Good to see you too, Tristan. How¡¯s that beautiful new bride of yours?¡±


    What the fuck? Paul likes Tristan more than me. Damn it.


    ¡°She¡¯s doing wonderfully. She¡¯ll love seeing you again,¡± Tristan said with a smile that made me want to punch him in the face.


    Turning, I nodded my head and said, ¡°Well, I guess next time I see you . . . um . . . you¡¯ll be walking Sierra down the aisle.¡±


    Paul¡¯s smile fell. ¡°Yep.¡±


    Turning on his heels, he walked away. Dragging in a deep breath, I grabbed Tristan. ¡°He hates me!¡±


    Tristan laughed and waved his hand off as he made his way to the staircase. ¡°Nah, he doesn¡¯t hate you. He¡¯s just very protective of Sierra. Especially with the whole Robert thing.¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand, Tristan.¡± Looking over my shoulder, I smiled when I noticed Paul watching us walk up the stairs. Giving him a wave, he barely gave me a head nod. Reaching the top stair, I placed my hands on my knees and began taking in deep breaths.


    ¡°Jesus, I knew the nerves were going to hit you sooner or later, but damn, dude. Get a grip!¡±


    Looking up at Tristan, I shook my head. ¡°He threatened to have me killed, dude! Killed!¡±


    Shrugging his shoulders, Tristan turned and headed to my parents¡¯ master bedroom where all the guys were set to get ready. Sierra, Ryn, Azurdee and Kacey were in the guesthouse.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry too much about it. He¡¯d have to have a damn good reason to have you knocked off.¡±


    Knocked off. The words sent chills throughout my body as I moaned and said a silent prayer I never ever hurt Sierra in any way.


    Stepping into the room, I came across Lark talking to Kacey¡¯s husband, Greg, about a hunt Greg was going to do on Lark¡¯s property near Marble Falls. Rolling my eyes, I slapped my hands together, only to have Lark give me the middle finger.


    STANDING AT THE WINDOW, I tried like hell to calm my beating heart. It¡¯s not like I was nervous because I wasn¡¯t. The yard had transformed into a magical paradise filled with flowers and white lights in the course of a few hours. I¡¯d seen Aaron carrying chairs, setting up tables, laughing with Tristan, chasing after Lark with a stick yelling at him, and glancing over to the guesthouse smiling.


    Placing my hands on my stomach, I shook my head. I¡¯m getting married. Was I moving too fast? Maybe we went too fast? What if Aaron doesn¡¯t want the same things I want? We¡¯ve never even talked about kids and earlier Kate was in here going on about grandchildren.


    Shit. Shit. Shit.


    Spinning on my heels, I looked at my wedding dress. I had a good fifteen minutes before I had to get dressed. Running over to my purse, I grabbed my cell phone.


    Me: I need to talk to you. Now.


    Aaron: Why?


    Smiling, because I knew what he was thinking.


    Me: I haven¡¯t changed my mind but we need to talk about something before we get married.


    Aaron: I¡¯m very aware of your obsession with me baby. I can live with it.


    Me: I¡¯m sneaking outside. Meet me behind the guesthouse in two minutes.


    Aaron: I¡¯m in the house! You¡¯re right there. Give me at least five.


    Me: Fine! Hurry, I have to get dressed still.


    Placing my phone back down on the table, I snuck to the door and slowly opened it. There were two doors that led outside, the front and the back. Everyone was in the front living room of the guesthouse so that counted out the front. Turning to my left, I quickly headed down the small hallway and made a sharp right, only to come face to face with Ryn.


    ¡°Whatcha doing?¡± Ryn asked as she placed her hands on her hips.


    Shrugging my shoulders, I laughed nervously. ¡°Nothing. Just needed some fresh air. I won¡¯t be long.¡±


    Looking at her phone, Ryn raised her eyebrow and gave me that motherly stare. ¡°You have to get dressed in fourteen minutes and thirty . . . two seconds.¡±

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    Jesus. She had it down to the seconds! Giving her a wink, I pushed her to the side. ¡°Got it! Just need a few breaths of fresh air.¡±


    Stepping in front of me, Ryn smiled sweetly. ¡°Want me to go with you?¡±


    ¡°No! I um . . . I need to be alone. In the fresh air. Breathing it in. You know . . . that country air . . . fresh shit and all.¡±


    ¡°Fresh shit?¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I pushed her further out of the way. ¡°You¡¯re wasting my precious minutes!¡± I yelled as I walked quickly to the back door. Looking over my shoulder, Ryn was giving me a huge smile. ¡°You¡¯re down to less than twelve minutes!¡±


    Giving her the finger, I yelled back, ¡°Fuck you, Ryn!¡±


    Shutting the door, I frantically began looking for Aaron. I could hear all the people talking as they were being seated.


    ¡°Aaron?¡± I whispered. Hearing something behind me in the bushes, I turned quickly. Aaron jumped out and grabbed me.


    ¡°Quick! The marine is after me!¡±


    Wait. What?


    Aaron pulled my arm practically out of my socket as he dragged me over to the pool house. ¡°Get down lower . . . to the ground, Sierra! People are going to see us!¡±


    ¡°What would you like me to do, Aaron? Crawl on the ground?¡±


    Aaron frowned as he opened the pool house door. Looking around, he quickly pushed me inside.


    Shutting the door, he grabbed me and began pulling my pretty pink T-shirt that Kacey had made that read, I¡¯m the bride, off of me. ¡°Jesus, you smell heavenly. I won¡¯t mess up your hair, which by the way looks incredible,¡± Aaron said as he smashed his lips to mine.


    Must. Talk. Kids.


    My mind was swirling as I fought against giving in to the desire and talking about our future.


    Aaron¡¯s hand slipped into my sweatpants and quickly found its way to my desire. Letting out a low moan, I dropped my head back and whispered, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Sierra, I¡¯m going to take you. Hold on, baby.¡±


    Grabbing onto Aaron¡¯s shoulders, I waited for him to make good on his promise. I could practically feel my wetness as Aaron pulled my pants and panties off. Moving his hands softly up my legs, I let out a whimper.


    Lifting me up, Aaron pressed me up against the door and lifted me just enough to push his dick inside of me.


    ¡°Fucking hell, this is what I needed. I¡¯m going to fuck you now, Sierra. Don¡¯t make any noise,¡± Aaron said between gritted teeth.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked as my breathing increased and my body began to tremble.


    That¡¯s when I looked out the small window across the pool house and saw all the people.


    ¡°Holy shit! I didn¡¯t realize we were that close to everyone, Aaron! Stop.¡±


    And just like that, he pulled out and pushed back into me with such force, I let out a small scream, causing Aaron¡¯s Grams to stop talking and look over her shoulder toward the pool house.


    Aaron was relentless as he moved in and out of me.


    ¡°Talk to me, baby,¡± Aaron whispered against my neck.


    Pressing my lips together hard, I fought like hell to keep my moans of pleasure inside.


    Aaron continued to work me up into what surely was going to be one hell of an orgasm. I began to feel the build-up as my body felt as if it was in convulsions.


    ¡°Talk to me, Sierra,¡± Aaron said against my lips as he bit down on my lower lip.


    ¡°Aaron . . . don¡¯t . . . stop! I¡¯m going to . . . oh God!¡± I called out as Aaron pressed his lips to mine and fucked the living shit out of me against the door to the pool house. While eighty people sat on the other side of the window, waiting for us to be married.


    Finally coming to a stop, I pulled my head back and asked, ¡°What time is it?¡±


    Aaron gave me a funny look before holding up his arm and looking at his watch. ¡°Damn, baby, you were timing me? That hurts my ego slightly.¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I said, ¡°No! I need to get dressed and I¡¯m sure you just ruined my hair.¡±


    Giving me a sexier than hell smile, Aaron shook his head. ¡°You look beautiful. It¡¯s five thirty-five.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± I whispered as I began prompting him to put me down.


    Grabbing a towel, Aaron began to wipe between my legs. ¡°Hold on, baby. Let me clean you up.¡±


    ¡°God, I love when you do this,¡± I said as I stared down at him while he cleaned between my legs.


    Giving me a wink, Aaron said, ¡°You look beautiful. Your face is flushed.¡±


    Placing my hands on my cheeks, they felt hot. ¡°Well, you did just fuck the hell out of me, Mr. Walker, with a crowd right outside the door.¡±

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    Smiling, Aaron stood up. ¡°Another item to check off your sex bucket list, baby. This is as close to public sex as I¡¯m letting you get.¡±


    Biting down on my lip, I giggled. ¡°Oh! I forgot, we need to talk about kids.¡±


    Aaron¡¯s face fell. ¡°Is it everyone¡¯s goal today to make me a nervous wreck? What do you mean? Are you . . . are we?¡±


    Aaron¡¯s eyes fell to my stomach. ¡°No! Oh God no, I¡¯m not pregnant.¡±


    Letting out a breath, Aaron said, ¡°Thank you, God.¡±


    My heart sank as the reality of Aaron not wanting kids kicked in. ¡°You don¡¯t want kids?¡± I said with sadness lacing my voice.


    Aaron¡¯s eyes widened in horror. ¡°What? Yes! Oh my gosh, yes, I want kids, Sierra. More than anything I want to have kids. I just want to spend some time with you first. But yes . . . baby, I want to be the father of our kids more than anything.¡±


    Smiling bigger, I looked down, almost afraid to ask the next question. I didn¡¯t want to wait long. I would be thirty-one in a couple of months, and I didn¡¯t want to be one of those parents that waited until they were forty to have kids.


    ¡°Um . . . how long do you want to wait until we start trying?¡±


    Placing his hands on the sides of my face, Aaron pierced my eyes with his. ¡°I was thinking we play it by ear. Get ourselves settled into our new house, get Princess trained a bit more, and let you settle into your new job. I¡¯d hate for you to feel like you¡¯ve been robbed of the chance to pursue this avenue in your career. Spend some time focusing on us.¡± Leaning closer to me, Aaron brushed his lips gently across mine as he whispered, ¡°But . . . Sierra, if you want to start trying, we can start now.¡±


    Oh my word. How in the world did I luck out with this man? Pulling him closer to me, I kissed him with everything I had. ¡°Let¡¯s get through our honeymoon and get things settled like you said, then we will start thinking about little Aarons running around the house with Princess chasing them down.¡±


    Closing his eyes, Aaron smiled. ¡°God, that sounds like a dream come true.¡± Opening his eyes and smiling even bigger, Aaron whispered, ¡°I love you so much.¡±


    Pressing my lips together to keep from crying, I tried to calm my beating heart as I slowly spoke. ¡°I love you more.¡±


    The knock on the door caused both Aaron and me to let out a scream.


    The door opened and I quickly stood behind Aaron. Ryn was standing there with an angry look on her face.


    ¡°Oh for Christ¡¯s sake. Dodge zip up your dick, Sierra get the hell dressed. We are now late!¡±


    Turning, Ryn slammed the door shut as Aaron and I both looked down at his dick. It was safely stowed inside his pants as we both let out a sigh of relief. I quickly got dressed and made sure my hair was still all in position.


    ¡°You go first, baby. I¡¯ll see you in a few minutes?¡± Aaron said as he walked me to the door. It was then I noticed he was in his tux. Holy shit. He was handsome as hell.


    My libido kicked in again and I went to wrap my arms around his neck when he lifted his finger and shook his head. ¡°Go! Before I fuck you again. This time you won¡¯t be able to hold your screams back with my kiss.¡±


    ¡°Oh my,¡± I whimpered as I quickly made my way out of the pool house and back to the guest house, where a very pissed off Ryn stood at the back door.


    Giving her a silly grin as I walked up, she asked, ¡°Was it worth it?¡±


    Nodding my head, I said, ¡°He¡¯s always worth it.¡±


    ¡°Oh sweet Jesus, you look like your mother,¡± my father said as he wiped a tear away. ¡°I wish she could have been here to see you.¡±


    Smiling, I looked down at my beautiful gown. Robert had wanted to elope, so I never got to have my fairy tale wedding. I was glad in a way; I wanted this with Aaron, not Robert.


    ¡°Are you both ready?¡± Ryn asked as she began ushering us toward the back of the house. We had skillfully managed to make our way back with no one seeing us. Now, all I had to do was walk out onto the back deck, down the stairs, and down the make-shift aisle I feared I was going to trip on.


    Daddy turned to me and asked, ¡°Are you sure you want to marry him? I could make sure he left you alone if you didn¡¯t want to marry him. You¡¯d be amazed what a few paint fumes could do.¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I playfully hit my father on the chest. ¡°Stop it. I love him and he makes me happy, Daddy.¡±


    Kissing me lightly on the cheek, he whispered, ¡°That¡¯s all that matters.¡±


    The music started and Kacey walked first, followed by Azurdee and then Ryn. It didn¡¯t help that Azurdee was pregnant as all get out and moved slower than molasses down the stairs.

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    ¡°Jesus! Speed it up, momma!¡± Ryn said as Azurdee held up her hand. I was almost positive she gave Ryn the finger. When Ryn was out of sight, Daddy gave me a small tug and we began walking.


    ¡°It¡¯s not too late,¡± he whispered as we descended the stairs.


    ¡°Stop it, Daddy!¡±


    Quickly scanning the area, I smiled. Then I saw them. The blue eyes I fell captive to all those months ago when I first met Aaron on South Padre. Aaron smiled, and I had to catch my breath.


    ¡°I love him so much, Daddy,¡± I said as I squeezed my father¡¯s arm.


    Giving me a pat on my hand, he said, ¡°I know you do. I kind of like him too.¡±


    Giggling, I turned to my father and shook my head as we continued to make our way to my happily ever after.


    Daddy and I stopped as I turned and he lifted my veil, giving me a kiss on the cheek as the pastor asked, ¡°Who gives this woman away?¡±


    Giving me a wink, my father turned to Aaron. ¡°You don¡¯t give a treasure away . . . ever. But I will entrust her to the man she loves more than anything.¡±


    A small sob escaped from my lips as I silently cursed myself for already starting to cry.


    Aaron went to take a step toward us when his smile faded and I knew exactly what was about to happen.


    ¡°Oh shit,¡± Aaron and I said at once.


    Not five seconds later, Aaron face-planted right in front of everyone. Tristan and Lark both stepped up and looked down at Aaron laying on the ground, passed stone-cold out.


    Lark let out a gruff laugh. ¡°I was wondering when it was going to finally hit him.¡±


    SIERRA LAID BACK WITH HER face soaking in the sun. Smiling, I walked over to her and leaned down to kiss her. ¡°Are you enjoying yourself?¡± I asked against her lips.


    ¡°Mmm. I never want to leave this place. It¡¯s amazing.¡±


    Sitting down next to Sierra, I got lost in thought.


    Yesterday we had gotten married for the second time at sunset on the beach. It was beyond perfect. Sierra looked beautiful in her short white dress with her hair pulled up with a few curls blowing in the wind. Something about it being just the two of us made it feel complete. Our wedding at my parents¡¯ house was amazing as well. We had a ton of fun and partied into the night, until Azurdee¡¯s water broke and we all rushed to the hospital. Seeing Akayla in Lark¡¯s arms changed something inside me. I¡¯d never seen a man look so incredibly happy. Here was this big tough marine, who had tears streaming down his face as he brought his daughter out to meet all of us.


    Smiling, I knew now was the time to tell Sierra. I didn¡¯t want to waste another second. Life was too precious. Taking a drink of my water, I sucked in an ice cube.


    Placing the ice cube on her bare stomach, Sierra jumped up. ¡°Shit! That is cold, you bastard. What in the hell is wrong with you, Aaron? It¡¯s called relaxing! Honeymoon . . . relax . . . eat . . . and have sex! Not make me jump up from complete and utter bliss into a tensed-up mess.¡±


    Laughing, I pulled her closer to me. ¡°We¡¯re anchored off shore and the crew went in to eat lunch and give us some privacy. Are you hungry?¡±


    Licking her lips, Sierra nodded as she stood and made her way over to the table that was set up with every kind of food you could think of. Letting out a moan, Sierra sat in the chair. ¡°I¡¯m going to gain thirty pounds just from this trip to Spain.¡±


    Nodding my head, I laughed and sat across from her. The table was adorned with fresh fish, vegetables, fruit and cheese. Sierra took a bite and moaned as my dick jumped in my shorts. I could hardly think straight looking at her sitting across from me in that damn bikini of hers. Her body was amazing and her blonde hair seemed lighter in just the two weeks we had been in Spain. The weather had been amazing. Sierra had to go and buy a swimsuit after we landed in Valencia and she felt how warm it was. If we were staying on the ocean, she wanted to swim . . . in the pool.


    ¡°Oh my, this is heavenly. So good,¡± Sierra said between bites.


    ¡°Don¡¯t eat too much; the hot tub is ready and I don¡¯t want you being too full.¡±


    Tilting her head and giving me a sly smile, I felt my stomach do that little flipping thing it did when Sierra touched me and I didn¡¯t expect it. ¡°Hot tub?¡± she asked in a sexy voice.


    ¡°Got to check it off your sex bucket list, baby.¡±


    Standing up quickly, Sierra began stripping out of her bathing suit. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry for food anymore.¡± Following her lead, I got undressed, picked her up and carried her over to the hot tub that was located on the deck of the yacht I had rented for the day.


    Slipping into the hot water, we both let out a relaxing moan. It didn¡¯t take Sierra long though to make her way over to me, straddle me and sink her pussy down onto my dick. She rode me to one of the most intense orgasms I¡¯d ever had as she pulled and twisted at her nipples as she called out my name.

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    Yep. This bucket list was the best damn thing ever.


    Sierra and I sat in the hot tub for a bit before I got out and handed her a towel to wrap up in. ¡°Shall we head down below to shower?¡± I asked as Sierra gave me a brilliant smile.


    Taking my hand, I led Sierra below deck.


    Best time of my life.


    Stepping out of the shower, I was ready for more of my beautiful wife. I had every intention on finishing up her bucket list on our honeymoon.


    ¡°Will you try something with me?¡± I asked as Sierra¡¯s mouth gaped open slightly before she licked her lips.


    ¡°Is it what I think it is? A certain position on a certain bucket list?¡±


    Nodding my head, I laid down on the bed and motioned for Sierra to come here.


    Chewing on her lower lip, I could see her cheeks flush.


    We soon found ourselves laid across the bed in a sixty-nine position as I brought out two orgasms from Sierra. I was glad as hell Sierra had never done some of the things on her sex bucket list, and I got to be the one to fulfill them. It was my job to make each of them come true. It was a hard job, but someone had to do it.


    Lying in the bed, I slowly moved my fingers up and down Sierra¡¯s arm. ¡°Tell me what you¡¯re thinking about,¡± I said as I pulled her to me and kissed her.


    ¡°How amazing this honeymoon has been. How incredibly romantic our wedding on the beach at sunset last night was. I¡¯m also thankful you didn¡¯t pass out at that wedding like you did at the first one.¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I shuddered at the idea of Lark spending the next five years . . . if not longer . . . cracking jokes about me passing out at my own wedding.


    Resting her chin on my chest, Sierra gave me a sexy smile. ¡°Tell me what you¡¯re thinking.¡±


    Running my fingers through her hair, I wondered how I got so damn lucky with this woman in my arms. ¡°That I don¡¯t want to wait.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t want to wait until what?¡± Wiggling her eyebrows, she said, ¡°Are you excited about the Nordstrom¡¯s sale? I knew you would come around and fall in love with that store.¡±


    Shaking my head, I made a huff. ¡°Please. That little ass in the shoe department flirts with you every single time you go in.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I almost made him my boy-toy.¡±


    Pulling my chin back to look at her better, I asked with a laugh, ¡°What?¡±


    Nodding her head, she said, ¡°Yep.¡± Popping her p. ¡°I almost went with fresh meat. I was picky though. I wanted an experienced dick.¡±


    ¡°Oh my God. You did not just say that to me. Do you hear the things that come out of your mouth sometimes?¡±


    Turning her head, she rested it down on my chest again. ¡°Yes, I hear and yes, I did say it. Do you think Tom in shoes could have done something like we just did? Hell no. He¡¯d come the moment I told him to take his clothes off.¡±


    Shaking my head, I said, ¡°Change of subject, please.¡±


    Laughing, Sierra let out a sigh. ¡°Okay sorry, what are you ready for?¡±


    Taking in a slow long breath, I blew out my cheeks and then slowly let the air out as I watched Sierra¡¯s head move with my breathing. I could feel my heart beat increasing, and I was both nervous and excited. ¡°I¡¯m ready to have kids . . . now.¡±


    Turning quickly to look at me, Sierra wore a shocked expression on her face. ¡°What? I thought you said¡ª¡±


    Putting my fingers to her lips, I shook my head. ¡°Let¡¯s not even think about it right now. Let¡¯s enjoy our honeymoon. We still have another week, and I still have to figure out how I¡¯m going to have sex with you on the beach with no one around. But if you¡¯re ready, I¡¯ll let you make the decision on when to stop taking the pill. I just wanted you to know I¡¯m ready to start trying.¡±


    Sitting up, I watched as a tear slowly made its way down Sierra¡¯s cheek. Reaching up, I wiped it away. Sierra placed her hand over mine.


    Her eyes filled with something I¡¯d never seen before as she attempted to talk at least three times. Finally getting her wits about her, Sierra said, ¡°When I was a little girl, I would dream about my prince charming. The daydreams started right after my mother passed away. I used to have terrible nightmares and I remember making my father check under my bed and in my closet for the monster that haunted my dreams each night.¡±


    Frowning, I rubbed my thumb lightly across her cheek.


    ¡°During the day, I would make up for my nightmares by daydreaming. It was always the same dream I would play out in my head as I sat in my room. My prince charming would ride up on a white steed. He had dark hair and the bluest of blue eyes.¡± Smiling, she slightly shook her head. ¡°I used to think they were blue like the sky. I could stare into them forever and feel safe. Once he rode up to me, he would shout up to my window that he was there to save me from the monsters.¡± Tears flowed freely as I sat up and pulled her onto my lap.

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    ¡°You are my dark-haired, blue-eyed prince, Aaron. You saved me from the monster that haunted my dreams, and I finally feel like I¡¯m going to get my happily ever after.¡±


    Bringing her lips up to mine, I smiled. ¡°Sierra, look into my eyes.¡± Placing her hand over my heart, I whispered, ¡°You¡¯ll never have to search for your prince again. Everything I do is for you. From this moment on, life has begun for both of us. You are my entire world, baby. You are the only person who had ever looked beyond the broken man I was to see what truly lied beneath all that other stuff.¡±


    Sierra shook her head as she bit down on her lip.


    My heart felt so full of love, it almost hurt. ¡°I swear to you, Sierra, I will forever fight for our love, because there is no love like ours.¡±


    Sierra¡¯s eyes lit up as she smiled. ¡°What about when we¡¯re old and gray? Will you forget me?¡±


    Shaking my head, I pulled her lips to mine and slowly kissed her. Pulling back some, I whispered against her lips, ¡°Impossible. A love like ours is unforgettable.¡±


    THE END


    Six months later


    PRINCESS SAT RIGHT NEXT TO me as I lazily moved my fingers up and down her soft fur. The April thunderstorm was rolling across the Texas Hill Country as the thunder echoed through the valleys, calming my racing thoughts some.


    Looking down at Princess, I smiled. She had been constantly by my side or following me around for the last two months. I¡¯d wake up in the middle of the night with her next to me and her head resting on my stomach as she stared at me. At first it freaked me the hell out. Now, I thought it was the most precious thing ever.


    Placing my hands over my stomach, I smiled. Tears began to build as I thought about telling Aaron. Did I just blurt it out? Tell him while we made love? Maybe I should tell him over a candlelit dinner.


    Princess jumped up the moment she heard Aaron¡¯s truck coming down the driveway. Standing, I took one last look out over the hills. I loved it out here. Aaron and I had bought a house a few miles west of Austin. We had seven acres of land, which was plenty for us. The four-bedroom, four-bath house was perfect. Not too small and not too big. Just right for us to start a family. Taking in a deep breath, I headed back into the house and to the kitchen as I looked down at my shaking hands.


    Sitting down at the bar, I tried like hell to calm my racing heart. Wiping my sweaty hands on my pants, I took in one slow breath after another.


    Act normal. Act normal.


    Aaron came walking into the kitchen and the whole atmosphere changed. It was charged instantly and I started squirming in my seat to ease the throbbing between my legs.


    Giving me a smile that took my breath away, Aaron walked up to me and kissed me on the lips . . . passionately. ¡°Hey there, beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± I whispered against his lips.


    ¡°How are you feeling? What did the doctor say?¡±


    Shit. Shit. Shit. ¡°Um . . . well I don¡¯t have the flu, so that¡¯s good,¡± I said with a weak smile. My heart was racing as I watched Aaron move about the kitchen.


    ¡°Oh good. I was hoping you didn¡¯t have the flu.¡±


    Trying to remain calm and not blurt out my news, I took in a deep breath as Aaron stepped back and gave me the most glorious smile. Aaron pulled out a bottle of my favorite wine and wiggled his eyebrows. ¡°I won the case.¡±


    Jumping up, I let out a scream and jumped into his arms. ¡°Oh my gosh, Aaron! That¡¯s amazing! I didn¡¯t know the ruling was today.¡±


    Giving me a wink, Aaron pulled one of the kitchen drawers open and took out the wine opener. ¡°Well, with you feeling so bad the last few days, I didn¡¯t want to stress you out with it.¡±


    Shaking my head, I said, ¡°Aaron! I always want to be a part of your world . . . your whole world. I¡¯m so happy for you. I bet your father was thrilled.¡±


    Letting out a laugh, Aaron opened the bottle of wine and grabbed two glasses.


    Oh hell. How do I get out of this one?


    Pouring wine into both glasses, he said, ¡°Dad was beyond thrilled. It¡¯s going to be announced next week about me making partner.¡±


    Oh . . . this was turning out to be the most amazing day ever.


    Walking over to me, Aaron handed me the glass of wine. Taking it, I noticed my hands were shaking. I could hear my heart beat in my ears it was pounding so hard.


    Aaron smiled as he said, ¡°To me winning.¡±


    Clinking the glass to mine, I said, ¡°Cheers.¡±


    Chewing on my lower lip, I looked at the glass of wine. Moving it up to my lips, I barely took a drink.


    Aaron chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s it? A little sip? Baby, take a drink! We¡¯re celebrating.¡±

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    Swallowing hard, I gave Aaron a smile. ¡°Um . . . I¡¯m not really in the mood for wine.¡±


    Aaron¡¯s eyes softened as he pulled me to him. ¡°Damn, you still can¡¯t keep anything down?¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to lie to Aaron and truth be told, I was dying to tell him.


    Holding my finger up, I placed my wine glass on the bar and I walked over to my purse to get the sonogram picture. Once Doctor Wilkins asked me a few questions, she suggested taking a pregnancy test first before we tested for the flu. I had mentioned we had been trying to have a baby, and she immediately had me peeing in a cup. My periods had been all kinds of messed up since I stopped taking birth control. I¡¯d gone the first two months with no period at all. When I barely spotted the third month, I gave up on doing the home pregnancy tests because each time was a letdown. My emotions couldn¡¯t take it anymore. I had one normal period in February and then nothing again in March. I hadn¡¯t even paid attention that I hadn¡¯t started yet in April.


    Pulling out the envelope, I smiled and turned around. Aaron was staring at me with a confused look on his face.


    Walking back over to him, I handed him the envelope. ¡°Here ya go.¡± Looking at it and then back to me, Aaron set his wineglass down next to mine.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± he asked as he opened the envelope.


    I held my breath as he began to pull the paper out. I had stopped at Hobby Lobby on the way home and bought some cute scrapbook paper. I glued our baby¡¯s first picture onto it and then stamped out the words, Daddy¡¯s little angel. Something deep within me told me it was a girl.


    ¡°W-what . . . what is . . .¡± Aaron stared at the paper for the longest time. When I saw the tears fall from his eyes, I began crying as I covered my mouth. Running his fingers lightly over the picture, Aaron looked at me.


    ¡°Sierra,¡± he whispered.


    Whispering back, I said, ¡°Aaron.¡±


    Looking back down at the picture, Aaron shook his head. ¡°A baby. Oh my God. We¡¯re having a baby.¡±


    Letting out a half-laugh, half-sob, I said, ¡°Yep. We¡¯re finally pregnant. I¡¯m about six weeks along.¡±


    Aaron gently placed the picture down on the island before turning back and gently taking me in his arms. ¡°I never in my life thought I could be this happy.¡±


    Sobbing, I barely was able to speak. ¡°Me either.¡±


    Aaron reached down and lifted me as Princess began barking. ¡°I¡¯m taking you to bed and slowly making love to you all night long,¡± Aaron said as he made his way to our bedroom.


    Wrapping my arms tighter around his neck, I let out a giggle. ¡°What about food? I¡¯m eating for two now ya know, and I¡¯m craving The Salt Lick.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay for Em and Zach to go get it and leave it at the front door.¡±


    Laughing, I shook my head.


    Aaron slowly slid me down his body. The moment my feet touched the ground, he was pulling his lips to mine again and kissing me until it felt as if I couldn¡¯t breathe. Leaning his forehead against mine, Aaron let out a sigh.


    ¡°I love you, Sierra. Thank you for making all my dreams come true.¡±


    Lifting my hand up, I pushed my fingers through his hair. ¡°Well . . . it was either you or Tom, the shoe salesman at Nordstrom.¡±


    Laughing, Aaron pushed me onto the bed as we quickly became lost in each other.


    That moment . . . that day . . . that night, quickly became the most amazing and unforgettable night of my life.


    And I got my Salt Lick barbecue.


    Life couldn¡¯t get any better.