Seven Sleepless Nights

HOPE CARTER

The date was set.

The day of reckoning was upon us.

It was actually happening.

Derek Porter was getting married.

To Karen Valentine.

I couldn’t even count how many WTF’s had floated through my mind since the news broke.

That was enough to stun me into silence, but what really blew my mind was the fact that Hunter and I had received an invitation.

Well, saying we had both received an invite was being a little optimistic.

Every member of my father’s family had been invited to attend, spouses and dates included, so I guess they kind of had to invite us.

The pretty ivory card with laced edgings had stated, ‘Hope, Abigail, and him,’ but still, it was progress.

I had no idea how to handle it.

The ceremony was in a little over an hour away, and I was still sitting on the bed in our hotel suite, with my dress laid out, twiddling my thumbs and battling down a huge surge of butterflies.

Should we go?

Should we not?

After a serious internal battle with myself, I settled on attending the wedding; knowing it was a big deal for them to invite us in the first place. It wouldn’t be easy, though.

There were only three people on the entire planet who knew what happened that night – me, Jordan, and Hunter.

None of my family knew.

I never breathed a word to anyone – not even Teegs.

Right or wrong, that was my choice and I planned on taking it to grave with me.

The problem with keeping such a secret was the fact that neither my father nor Derek realized how dangerous it was to put these two men in the same state, let alone the same isolated ski-resort hotel in the middle of the mountains in Aspen.

Oh boy…

‘Think you can manage not to kill each other for a couple of days for Derek’s sake?’ I heard my father say when I joined the rest of the guests in the main foyer who were waiting to be accompanied into the room the vows would take place in.

My father looked as uncomfortable as I felt as his eyes flicked between my ex-husband and current, uh, Lucky. ‘Well?’

Panic seizing my chest, my gaze darted to where Hunter was visibly bristling with tension.

Like the role of a lifetime movie, he was playing the villain. I could see it in everyone’s eyes. They weren’t saying it, they didn’t dare, but they sure as hell were thinking it.

He was my dirty little secret.

My affair.

And the adorable baby he was holding in his arms?

The one we’d conceived when I was still married to another man?

Well, I was fairly certain that little girl was the only thing keeping Hunter from attacking.

‘You won’t have any trouble from me,’ Jordan replied quietly, and he had the good grace to look ashamed.

Nodding stiffly, Dad looked to me. ‘Hope?’

Exhaling a ragged breath, I shrugged limply. ‘I, ah…no trouble from me.’

‘Lucky?’

‘We’ll see,’ Hunter finally replied, tone cool, blue eyes locked on Jordan. ‘I’m not making promises.’ Turning to Derek, he hissed, ‘Keep your boy away from my woman. That’s your only warning.’

Oh boy.

This was going to be a long week.

‘Can you just try and ignore him,’ I begged, voice hushed, as I struggled to balance our flailing daughter on my lap. ‘Please. It’s over and done with.’

‘Really fucking hard thing to do, HC,’ Hunter muttered, jaw clenched, eyes trained on the back of Jordan’s curly head, ‘when my woman’s rapist ex-husband is sitting four rows ahead of me.’

‘We’ve been through this–’ I began to say before Hunter cut me off.

‘I spared his life,’ he hissed, as a vein ticked in his neck. ‘So he could go. Not come the fuck back here and shit on my mercy!’

Feeling panicked, I quickly thrust Abi into his arms, knowing Hunter would rather chew off his arm than cause distress to his little girl.

‘I’m yours,’ I whispered, leaning into his ear. ‘Then, now, and always.’

Turning to face me, Hunter cocked a brow. ‘Using our daughter as a shield?’ A reluctant smirk spread across his face. ‘Low fucking blow, sweetheart.’

‘I’ve got a pretty dress on, Hunter Casarazzi,’ I reminded him, gesturing to myself. ‘One I’ve worked my ass off to fit into, and I have no intentions of letting you get it splattered in blood.’

‘That dress?’ he purred, attention diverted to the lemon colored dress with a fitted corset I had on. ‘On your body?’ His blue eyes danced with mischief. ‘Should be illegal.’ He shifted closer, and inclined his head towards my chest with a flirty wink. ‘Because the thoughts I’m having of you right now are fucking criminal, HC.’

Well hell.

My heart.

My freaking body…

Smirking right back at him, I teased, ‘If you cuss in Church, you won’t go to heaven.’

Hunter snorted – literally snorted – at my warning before resuming his post of glaring at the back of Jordan’s head. And he did it while looking like a fricking sex god.

All suited up in a tight-fitted white shirt and black slacks, Hunter bounced Abi on his knee, not caring one bit that she was yanking gleefully on his tie like it was her new favorite toy.

His blond hair, back to its former glory since his ordeal in Mexico, was slicked back in his signatory man-bun. His beard was neatly trimmed and styled. Only one visible scar remained on his face now, right above his left eye, and it only seemed to add to his appeal.

He was completely oblivious to the countless ogles and stares from the women sitting in the nearby makeshift pews. I felt like baring my teeth and growling at those women, but then I thought about where I was and I managed to reign it in – barely.

Everyone around us was getting engaged or married. People couldn’t understand it; how Hunter and I were content just being together. They wouldn’t understand. Marriage was not on our agenda. I knew he was never going to propose to me, and I took a weird comfort in that. A piece of paper didn’t mean anything to us.

My father loved Hunter. He genuinely adored him, but he couldn’t figure it out. Didn’t understand why he refused to marry his daughter.

All of my family expected it to happen after Abi was born. But we were perfectly content living in sin. He was never going to give me a ring, and I didn’t want one. I had one of those before. I said those words once. And it was a mistake. Nothing about Hunter Casarazzi was a mistake, and I wasn’t tarring him with the same brush.

He looked my way and in that one glance I knew. I just knew he was going to fuck me seven ways from Sunday when this was all over. He was promising me all kinds of everything. I could see it in those blue eyes of his. He was watching me. Marking me. Laying claim on me.

Good.

I wanted to be owned by him. Wholly and completely.

Smirking, Hunter reached over and cupped the back of my head. ‘Gimme a kiss, sweetheart.’

And then he kissed me in the middle of the church, in front of everyone. Stunned, I could do nothing but kiss him back, feeling more emotion than was safe for me. I was powerless when it came to this guy. He ruined me.

‘Hey!’ a familiar voice hissed from the row behind us, causing us to reluctantly pull apart. Moments later, a blonde head poked out between us. ‘Are you on birth control?’

‘What?’ I turned to gape at my best friend. ‘I’m on the pill, Teegs. Why?’

‘The pill?’ Teagan looked at me like I had grown three extra heads. ‘You think a tiny pink smarty is going to stop those Carter ovaries from snatching up the strongest swimmer?’

‘Ew, Teegs.’

‘Don’t ew me, Hope Carter,’ Teagan shot back as she patted her huge stomach. ‘If I’ve learned anything from my time with your family, it’s that you guys possess over achieving reproductive organs.’ Gesturing to Hunter, she huffed out a breath. ‘Yeah, I see the way he’s looking at you. Like you’re breakfast, lunch, and freaking dinner. Careful, Hope, or you’ll end up with another bundle of joy.’

‘Thorn,’ Noah grumbled from beside her. ‘Can you at least try to contain the crazy until the service is over?’

‘Do you think he has an attitude problem?’ Teagan asked later that evening, as we all sat around an impressive round table. ‘I’m deadly serious, guys.’ She glanced between her son and her husband. ‘He looks so mad.’

‘With you two as his parents?’ Colton drawled sarcastically. ‘Never.’

‘Look at that frown,’ Teagan continued, ignoring my brother. ‘He’s always frowning.’

‘What?’ Noah frowned, mirroring his son’s expression. ‘No, Thorn, he’s fine.’

‘Looks just like his father if you ask me,’ Colton interjected with a snicker.

‘No one asked you,’ Noah shot back in warning.

‘He’s angry,’ Teagan added, bouncing Finn on her hip. ‘A lot, Noah.’

‘He’s just a baby.’ Rubbing his stubbly chin, Noah cast a quick glance towards his son before shaking his head. ‘You took your tit away, babe. He’s pissed off.’

‘Don’t say pissed off in front of our son, asshole,’ Teagan snapped, slapping her husband’s hand away from her chest ‘Or tit.’

Noah rolled his eyes. ‘What – like you just said?’

‘Oh, fuck off, Noah!’

‘That’s lovely, Thorn.’

‘Guys, stop fighting,’ I offered, stifling a laugh.

‘Abi smiles,’ Teagan hurried on, pointing to my daughter, who was, as per usual, smiling at her uncle Colt. ‘All the freaking time. And my baby? He frowns, Noah! He’s like the king of frowning.’ Teagan’s expression fell and she paled before whispering, ‘Oh my god. Do you think he’s not happy?’

‘The fuck?’ Gaping at his wife, Noah pushed his chair back and hoisted Finn out of Teagan’s arms before standing up. ‘He’s not unhappy, Thorn. He’s just… honest about his feelings.’

‘Honest?’ Looking vulnerable, Teagan stared up at her husband with a hopeful expression. ‘Really?’

‘Yeah,’ Noah coaxed. ‘Don’t be fooled by that angelic smile of hers,’ he continued, pointing to my daughter. ‘I’ve seen her father wear that exact smirk seconds before he made a kill.’ Shrugging, he added, ‘Sometimes during a kill.’

‘Excuse me!’ I choked out, feeling outraged. ‘My child is not a sadistic killer!’

‘No,’ Colton snickered. ‘That’s just your lover.’

‘Oh fuck off, Colton!’

‘Speaking of sadistic killers,’ Teagan piped up. ‘Any idea where you left yours, Hopey-bear?’

I glanced around the table only to find Hunter’s chair suspiciously empty.

Ah hell.

LUCKY CASARAZZI

For most of my adult life, I walked a thin line between moral and immoral, somehow managing to find a balance between right and wrong, good and evil, man and monster.

My sins were many and my soul was charred like the bones of my enemies.

Convictions? They were a dime a dozen to men like me.

Felonies? Fuck, I had those, too.

I lived in a war zone; a consistent frenzy of drug-fueled violence, constant paranoia, wicked bloodshed, and, inevitably, death. Christ, I had been knocking on Heaven’s door for a long damn time. Almost met the man on a few occasions.

Still, it had never bothered me before now. I had never given much thought to the way I lived my life, or the lives I had taken.

And then there was Hope.

The woman.

The feeling.

The… everything.

She burst into my world and threw everything on its axis. All of sudden I had a woman to think about, to protect from the skeletons bursting out of my closet. To protect from the demons that actively hunted me down.

I was thirty-two years old and my body was fit for retirement. My knuckles were worn. The holes still left inside of me were hollow and angry. When I woke up in the morning, it was to crippling pain and a racing mind.

I hid it the best I could, Hope didn’t need to worry about me, but it was there. The fear of being unable to protect her from the monsters I had brought to our doorstep was a very real concern for me.

I had no clue how the woman could see beyond what I was – how she could see beyond the crimes I’d committed, or the lives I’d taken.

But she did.

I wasn’t so sure about my kid, though.

Growing up with a killer for a father?

Finding out who I was?

What I am…

Fuck me, for all I knew there would be kids in her grade whose relations I had taken out. It wasn’t something I had kept track of and, if I was being honest, thought about. Because I didn’t expect to be a father.

But here I was, trying to walk the line, be a little girl’s daddy, and live within the boundaries of the law. Hard thing to do for a man who knew nothing but the other side of that line.

On a bright note, I was bossing this dad shit. Seriously, I had it down. Sterilizing bottles, night feeds, diaper changes. I had a handle on all of it. I was so damn determined not to fuck this kid up. I’d seen it in prison. That place was filled with guys with daddy issues so deep no psychiatrist could root them out.

Not my kid.

Whatever she needed, I would be down. I took my role as her father seriously, which came as a surprise to Noah and the rest of them. Apparently, I wasn’t a serious kind of man. And hell, maybe I wasn’t.

Up until Hope Carter, I went with the flow. She was the first thing I had intentionally hunted down. I’d never been more serious about anything in my life as I was about that woman.

And this kid?

The one we’d made together?

Goddamn, I was serious about her. Abi was mine. My daughter. I would not fuck this up. Hell, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing most of the time, but I was trying dammit. She liked me. Smiled when she saw me. Settled when she was in my arms. Yeah, my girl knew who I was. She knew I had her back.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Colton bop around with Abi in his arms as a flock of women surrounded him. Fucker was using my daughter to pick up women. Standing nearby was Logan, who was entertaining baby Finn, and looking on at his brother in dismay.

I shook my head and forced down the urge to kick his fuckboy ass for using my kid as pussy bait.

Remembering that I was on strict orders to not get bloody tonight, I reigned it in.

The tension somewhat eased from my shoulders a few moments later when Lee Carter hurried onto the dance floor to retrieve her grandbaby and scold her wayward son.

‘Hello,’ Cameron Carter said, snapping his fingers in front of me. ‘Earth to Lucky.’

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I cocked a brow at Hope’s brother. ‘What?’

‘I asked if you wanted another drink, dude?’

‘The man is attending his baby mama’s former father-in-law’s wedding. Of course he wants another drink,’ Noah filled in, joining us at the bar. Setting his kid – the mirror image of him – on top of the counter, he flagged the bartender down and ordered a round of Jack before turning to look at me. ‘You good, Luck?’

Was I?

Hell to the no.

Would I admit it?

Not on my death bed.

‘I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me that your sister’s a stripper, dude,’ Colton said, coming to join us at the bar, and snagging his brother’s freshly poured tumbler of whiskey. ‘Do you have any idea how many boxes she’s ticking for me?’ he asked before tossing the amber liquid back his throat. ‘Goddamn, I think I’m in love.’

‘That’s my sister you’re talking about, you little pervert,’ I growled, keeping my voice low, but my eyes locked on the horned-up fucker whose attention was fixated on Hayden. ‘So back the fuck off.’

‘And that’s my sister you’re shacked up with,’ Colton shot back with a pearly white grin, inclining his head to where Hope was sitting at our table talking to Teagan, Tillie, and Brooke – the pretty little brunette nurse Logan had brought as his date tonight. Unfortunately for me, the person Colton Carter had chosen to accompany him tonight just so happened to be my goddamn sister.

‘Your sister is a grown ass woman,’ I informed him, taking a good long look at the fabulous fucking female I was taking home tonight before returning my attention to baby Carter. ‘Hayden is barely twenty.’

‘Bullshit,’ Colton scoffed. ‘You can’t run with the hare and hunt with the hound, Lucky boy!’ Grinning, he winked daringly before adding, ‘What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.’

‘Listen here, farm boy,’ I snarled, feeling the urge to maim and kill rise up inside of me at a rapid pace. ‘Put your dick near that girl and I will fuck you up!’

Otis Redding’s Love Man blasted from the speakers and I groaned in audible despair as Colton scampered off. ‘That fucker wants to die,’ I stated grimly as I watched baby Carter dance his ass off in the most animated fashion across the floor in the direction of my little sister.

Noah, who was concentrating on trying to make his son smile, shrugged nonchalantly. ‘Think my nephew wants to get laid –’

‘Don’t say it,’ I warned him. ‘Don’t even think it, man.’

Chuckling, Noah shook his head and lifted his son into his arms. ‘Could be worse,’ he added, bobbing with Finn in his arms.

‘Oh yeah?’ I raised a brow. ‘How’d you figure that one?’

He smirked and pointed across the room. ‘Could be that fucker you’re warding off.’

My eyes locked on the curly haired prick Noah was pointing at and a low growl ripped from my throat.

Jordan.

‘Get me drunk, Noah,’ I pleaded before tossing my drink back. Slapping the glass down on the counter, I flagged the bar tender and grumbled, ‘Get me so fucking drunk that I can’t aim a gun, man.’

HOPE CARTER

‘You did good, Angel,’ Dad said, twirling me out and then spinning me around to Loudon Wainwright III’s Daughter. ‘And I honestly couldn’t be prouder of you.’

Listening intently to the lyrics of the song, I found myself smiling against his chest.

Like the habit of a lifetime, I snuggled close to the man who raised me and breathed him in, feeling that blanket of security cloak over me. ‘Even now, Dad?’

He knew what I was referring to.

I didn’t need to verbalize the long list of my indiscretions.

‘Especially now,’ he replied, tone confident and strong. ‘So, hold that head up high, my little pocketful of hope, because you’ve made your old man proud.’

Pocketful of hope? ‘Ugh, Dad,’ I groaned, blushing at the stupid endearment. ‘That’s so…cheesy.’

‘Don’t give me that shit,’ he chuckled. ‘You just wait until Abi’s older and every little thing you do or say embarrasses her.’

‘Yeah, well, if she watches this video back, she’s going to feel justified in her shame,’ I chuckled, pointing over my shoulder to where my stupid brother was attempting to dance with my baby.

Concern pooled inside of my belly as I watched a notably drunk Colton fake-moonwalk Abi around the dancefloor, bobbing her up and down to the beat as he went.

The sunglasses, men’s dress hat, and bowtie he’d decided to dress her in looked ridiculous, but she was grinning in delight, clearly enjoying her uncle’s antics.

I was far from impressed.

‘What the hell is he doing now?’ I growled, stopping short. ‘He knows she can’t walk yet – Colton! If you drop my baby, I’m going to kill –’

My words fell off the tip of my tongue when I watched Hunter snatch our baby away from my brother.

Hoisting his daughter into his arms, he tossed the hat and glasses back to Colt, as he checked her over from head to toe, carefully undoing the bow-tie on her neck.

I smirked, watching as Colt held his hands up and slowly moonwalked away from the danger zone with Hunter glowering after him.

‘She’s going to ruin him,’ Dad mused, dragging me from my thoughts. ‘I can’t wait.’

‘Who – Abi?’ I asked, turning my attention back to my father.

‘Mmm-hmm,’ Dad confirmed with a smirk, leading me off the dance floor. ‘Little girls always do the most damage to their father’s hearts.’

‘You sound like you’re speaking from experience, Dad,’ I half-joked, half-cringed, making a beeline for my baby. ‘Is she okay?’ I asked Hunter when I reached our table.

‘Yeah, she’s all good, sweetheart.’ Sitting on the chair next to my mother, he cradled our sleepy-daughter to his chest. ‘It’s way past her bedtime, though.’

‘I can take her up to our room if y’all wanna spend some time together,’ Mom offered, cooing and doting on her granddaughter.

‘Are you sure?’ Hunter asked, turning to look at Mom.

‘Of course,’ she replied, offering him a genuine, warm smile. ‘It would be a real treat for me. Kyle, you don’t mind if we get some snuggle-time in with our little grandbaby tonight, do you?’

My dad didn’t look nearly as enthusiastic as Mom, but he smiled and agreed for Mom’s sake. ‘Sure thing, princess.’

‘Thanks, Mom,’ I said, feeling strangely nervous at the prospect of having a night with Hunter that didn’t include a baby sleeping between us.

‘So,’ my father said then, blue eyes locked on Hunter. ‘When can we expect the next big day?’

Oh god…

‘Dad,’ I warned, cheeks flushing. ‘No. Don’t start this again. Please. Let it go.’

Leaning back in his chair, Hunter rested an arm over the back of my mother’s chair and smirked at my father. ‘Are you asking me to be your son, Kyle?’

‘Hunter,’ I grumbled, feeling incredibly embarrassed. ‘Don’t tease him.’

‘What I want, Lucky, is for you to step up.’

The smirk on Hunter’s face grew wider. ‘Is that so?’

‘There’s an order in life,’ Dad pressed. ‘Marriage first and then babies.’

Hunter laughed. ‘I know.’

‘I see a baby, but no ring.’

He laughed harder. ‘I know.’

‘Oh lord,’ Mom muttered.

‘Yeah, Mom,’ I agreed with a sigh. ‘Oh lord indeed.’

LUCKY CASARAZZI

Later that night, when Lee Carter had turned into Mary Poppins and herded all of the babies up to her room for a sleepover – much to her husband’s dismay – Hope sidled up to me at the bar.

Slowly taking in the sight of her, I allowed my gaze to rake her over, revering in every soft curve and exposed slither of skin.

Nothing in my life had ever looked as good as Hope Carter.

Fuck me, she was beautiful.

She was dressed in yellow, her long dark brown curls styled to fall effortlessly down one shoulder.

And when she locked those big blue eyes on me, it was painful.

For a long time, being around this woman was a different kind of pain – because at the end of the night, I always had to give her back to him.

Not anymore.

No more pretenses.

No more having to hide how sickeningly in love I was with her.

No, because when Hope Carter danced with me tonight, she would be all mine.

And when this party was over, she would be coming home with me.

She looked up at me, those big blue eyes shining bright, and took a step closer.

That was all I needed.

I would take it from here.

I didn’t give two fucks if her former in-laws were watching us.

‘Hey, sweetheart,’ I slurred, having tossed back one too many shots with her brother. ‘You good?’ I asked – slurred – pulling her close to press a kiss to her hair.

Tall as Hope was in her skyscraper heels, the top of her hair grazed my chin and I smirked. I could take care of this woman. Be what she needed. Set her on fire and push her boundaries. I’d never been with a woman twice, not since Hayley, but Hope? Hope made me want to come back for more repeatedly. Hope made me want to stay.

Forever.

‘Um, sure.’ She shifted around nervously. ‘Do you wanna get out of here?’

I could see the trepidation in her eyes, the anxiety in her body as she jittered from one foot to the other, and it made me anxious.

‘Why?’ Hyper-alert to all things HC, I frowned down at her.’ What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing,’ she replied, still shuffling around clumsily.

‘HC,’ I pushed, not swallowing an ounce of her bullshit. ‘What happened?’

‘Nothing,’ she continued to protest. ‘Honestly, it’s not even a big deal –’

‘What isn’t a big deal?’

Chewing on her lip for a long moment, she finally blew out a heavy breath. ‘There were some women in the bathroom…’ She eyed me warily. ‘Talking about me.’

Anger rushed through me, so fucking hot that it turned my blood to lava. ‘And what were they saying about you, HC?’ I asked, managing to mask my rage.

‘I brought you as my date to his parents’ wedding, Hunter,’ Hope said with a defeated sigh. ‘I brought the baby we conceived while I was still married to him to their wedding.’ Her small shoulders sagged in resignation. ‘What do you think they were saying about me?’ Another sad sigh escaped her. ‘Doesn’t even matter anyway, because Teagan heard them and she went completely batshit…’

Thank you, blondie!

‘It just sucks, you know?’ she sighed, snuggling into my chest. ‘They don’t have a clue… not a damn clue of what I did for him, or how many years of my life that I sacrificed for him –’ her breath hitched, ‘Or what he did to me.’

‘We’re not leaving because of them,’ I told her, tipping her chin up. ‘We’re not running from them, HC, and we’re not hiding.’ Keeping my eyes locked on hers, I lowered my brow to rest against hers. ‘You are the best thing that ever happened to me, and I’ll be dammed if I don’t show you off to these assholes.’

‘Jesus, Hunter, you reek of whiskey,’ she said with a sniff, pulling back to arch a brow at me. ‘What did you do tonight; drain the whole bar?’

‘Shit.’ Who knew? ‘Probably.’ I shrugged. ‘I wanna dance with you.’

Her eyes lit up. ‘You do?’

‘Yeah, sweetheart.’ Pressing a kiss to her lips, I caught ahold of her hand and led her onto the dance floor. ‘Let’s give these bastards something to talk about.’

Ironically, The Verve’s Lucky Man was playing when we reached the middle of the dancefloor.

Chuckling, Hope wrapped her arms around my neck while I tried my best to keep some semblance of a rhythm. I was failing miserably, the alcohol I had poisoned my body with tonight no doubt the cause of my clumsy movements, but I kept going, needing to keep her close to me.

‘Hunter?’ she whispered, stepping up to me, so close that our bodies were flush together.

‘Yeah, HC?’

‘I’m yours.’

‘Fuck.’ A shiver rolled down my spine.

She had no idea how badly I needed to hear that right now. Her hands came up to cup my face, causing my body to ignite in an almost pained sensation.

It was too much.

She was too fucking much for me.

‘I love you,’ she whispered, blue eyes snaring me one blink at a time. ‘So much.’ Reaching up, she pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth. ‘Only you.’

Exhaling heavily, I rested my forehead against hers and closed my eyes, absorbing this moment, taking it all in.

I tried to loosen my hold on her waist, desperate not to hurt her, but only ended up tightening it instead. I was drowning in my feelings for this woman.

‘I love you more,’ I admitted, my words a slurred truth, but a truth all the same. I opened my eyes then, taking in the sight of her. ‘With everything I have in me.’

‘I know you do,’ she replied, her voice a breathy whisper, barely audible above the music, but I heard it.

HOPE CARTER

Hunter’s lips crashed down on mine again; hard, warm, and entirely welcome. Every insecure thought, notion, and worry I had was washed away when his tongue plunged into my mouth, stroking mine with passionate reverence, as I drowned in his familiar taste of mint, nicotine, and alcohol.

Jesus, his hands on my waistline, the feel of his warm, hard grip as he rocked against me to the rhythm of the music, was unbearably erotic.

Drunk or not, he was more than capable of giving me exactly what I needed.

Kissing me recklessly in the middle of the dance floor, with dozens of disapproving eyes on us, was his private fuck you to the man whose life he spared.

I didn’t care about any of them. Let them think what they wanted. Hell, they already did.

Regardless of the skanky hoes in the bathroom earlier, I’d lost count of the number of times I’d overheard guests talking about how trashy I was, prancing my lover in front of my ex-husband all damn day.

I knew those people would suggest that our relationship was built on secrets and lies, but I knew better. It was built on friendships and moments. Hunter had taken the time to get to know me. My insecurities and flaws. My quirks and interests. He came, he stayed, and he conquered my heart. He knew more about me than I knew about myself, and our love was one that had grown from the solid foundations of friendship and respect.

He was my best friend, and I had two choice words for the people who thought otherwise; fuck off.

I was through with the worrying.

I left that part of me in the past, signed off on caring around the same time I signed those divorce papers.

Right now, I was dancing with the father of my child, and the man I loved most in the world. I was connected to him on another level. It wasn’t like any other relationship I’d ever had with any other person in my life. It was different. More. He was just so much more.

If that made me trashy then so be it.

Hunter swung me out for a twirl and then quickly pulled me back to his chest, one hand pressed possessively to my lower back, the other tenderly clutching my hand, moving to the sound of The Verve’s Lucky Man as it drowned out the noise around us. He smirked down at me, eyes glazed over but still focused on me, always me. It was unnerving how alert and aware he was of me.

I love you, my heart screamed at him, I love you so freaking much it hurts.

I loved him desperately, shamelessly, recklessly, and every other way humanly possible.

There was a saying that went something along the lines of people throw rocks at things that shine. There had never been a truer statement. We had more than our fair share of rocks thrown at us, but we were still standing. Still side by side. Still taking on the world together.

Being with him, having him sleep beside me at night, after going through six months of torture was the sweetest form of heaven.

‘I hope you know that you have never been second best, Hunter Casarazzi,’ I heard myself say, as we moved to the music. ‘You were just…late.’

He arched a brow. ‘Late?’

‘Yeah.’ Chest heaving, I nodded at him in confirmation. ‘And I made some mistakes while I was waiting for you to show up in my life, but that doesn’t mean that you’re not number one, or that you’re second best.’ Blowing out a shaky breath, I smiled up at him. ‘I know coming here wasn’t easy for you, and I just…I needed you to know that.’

‘Well shit, HC,’ he replied, voice thick and gravelly. ‘I think you put a bullet in me with those words, sweetheart.’

I didn’t have time to respond, because in the blink of an eye, we were on the move. With my hand firmly clamped in his, Hunter pushed through the crowd, moving like a man on a mission, as I struggled to keep up with him.

The moment we crashed into the foyer of the hotel, his lips were back on mine, his tongue seeking entry, his hands wild and wandering.

My back slapped hard against the cool metal doors of the elevator, causing our lips to break apart and a breathy laugh to escape my lips.

Releasing a frustrated growl, Hunter reached a hand out and slapped the keypad before claiming my mouth once more.

My head was too clouded to think rationally, everything inside of me was completely wrapped up in this moment – in the way he made me feel. I was aching all over, the need to have him inside of me unbearable.

Moaning into his mouth, I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck. He took my weight easily, and I was glad. My legs were shaking so badly, I could hardly keep upright.

‘Fucking love you, HC,’ he groaned into my mouth as his lips attacked mine almost viciously. ‘Want you like no one else.’

‘Oh god…’ Whimpering into his mouth, I bit down hard on his bottom lip, hungry for more of him – dying for all of him.

Our actions were clumsy and desperate, neither one of us caring about the other wedding guests, as we fumbled into the awaiting elevator.

The instant the elevator doors closed around us, Hunter backed me into the corner, crowding my body with his.

And then his hands were on my dress, dragging it upwards to pool around my waist.

‘Oh god.’ Frantic to feel him inside my body, I ripped and tore at his suit pants, desperate to free him. ‘I need you.’

‘You need me everywhere, don’t you baby?’

I nodded. There was no point in lying. I’d take him wherever he wanted to put himself and that was the truth.

Clumsily, I clung to his shoulders as I stepped out of my panties, and then I was airborne, being hoisted up by this powerful man.

When he freed himself, my hand automatically reached for his cock. A sharp breath tore from his lips when I fisted him roughly, dragging him closer to me. ‘This is mine,’ I warned him, tightening my grip for emphasis, as his fingers dug into my thighs so hard, I knew I would bruise. ‘Mine.’

He bit down roughly on my lip until I was sure I could taste my own blood on him. His tongue swiped out, lapping and suckling my cut.

‘I’m gonna fuck you until I lose myself in you,’ he warned, his voice a low warning snarl. ‘Until you feel how hard you make me hurt.’

My clit thrummed in excitement when I felt the head of his cock rub against my slit. ‘Oh god,’ I cried out, attacking him with my own version of passionate pain.

Reaching under his shirt, I scraped my nails down the deep ridges and grooves of his stomach, fingers finding the gun holster strapped to his back beneath his crisp white shirt.

Fuck…

He hissed from the contact and I reveled in the pain I was causing him.

I hooked my thighs around his hips just the same as I always did; my body pliant and completely submissive, programmed to accept and succumb to the dominance of his sheer masculinity.

With my back pressed against the elevator wall, I braced myself for the pressure I knew would come, and when it did, when he filled me up to the point of pain, the stretching sensation inside of my core caused me to cry out in pained pleasure.

‘Say it, sweetheart,’ he ordered, eyes locked on mine. ‘Say. It,’ he repeated, his voice a raspy snarl, as he fucked me almost violently.

‘I’m yours,’ I strangled out, hardly able to form the words, as his body crashed against mine over and over; a frenzied onslaught of passion and pain.

This man knew how to fuck, and he did it with as much dedication and skill as he did everything else in life. He was thorough and exceptional.

I enjoyed every second of him spearing into me.

I wanted nothing more than everything this man was and all he would ever be.

Screaming into his mouth, I came apart in his arms as an orgasm ripped through my body just before the elevator reached our floor.

When the elevator pinged, Hunter smirked down at me. ‘I hope you’re not tired, HC, because I’m only getting warmed up.’

Oh fudge…

Thoroughly fucked into submission, I fell onto my elbows, boneless and aching for more of whatever Hunter Casarazzi wanted to give me. He was the definition of the apex predator, and I his willing victim. For hours, he fucked me relentlessly and I continued to give myself up to him.

I felt Hunter’s hand on my lower back, touch gentle, as he smoothed his palm over the globe of my ass, before lazily trailing his fingers up my spine.

And then his hand was between my shoulder blades, pushing my face into the mattress. I obliged, spreading my legs wide open, too aroused to overthink what we were doing.

‘You good, HC?’

‘Hmm.’ Breathless, I nodded, listening to the distinct sound of a bottle cap snapping shut. Lube. ‘All good.’

‘Hmm?’ His cock was digging into the curve of my ass as he slowly rocked behind me, enjoying what he was doing to my body. ‘Too tired for more?’

‘Don’t you dare stop,’ I warned, my words a breathless moan, and then his face was there, in my most intimate of areas, followed by his tongue, as he touched and tasted me in ways I was sure should be illegal.

I could feel his tongue probing me, and then his finger was inside me, pushing past the point of no return, thrusting in and out against the bunch of nerve endings designed to drive a woman to insanity.

And fuck did he know how to work those nerve endings.

LUCKY CASARAZZI

I didn’t realize I was looking for a partner until I found her, and I didn’t know two bodies could be so compatible until ours fused together. Hope Carter blew my mind and I fucked her senseless.

‘It’s so intense,’ she mewled, bucking restlessly against me.

Yeah, she needed to stop pushing her ass into me. If she didn’t, I was going to lose that tether of self-control I was clinging to.

Her ass was tighter than anything I’d ever experienced.

Fuck me, she was clamping down on me so tightly I was close to coming.

‘Oh my god,’ she cried out, louder now. ‘Hunter!’

‘Relax, sweetheart,’ I coaxed, smoothing my hand over the curve of her ass. ‘Keep squeezing on me and I’m gonna lose it.’

‘It’s too much,’ she groaned, still thrusting against me.

‘Do you want me to pull out?’

‘No!’ came her bark of a response. ‘I want you to fuck me like a dog.’

That’s my girl.

I grinned.

‘Harder,’ she ordered, bracing herself for the impact.

Muscles tensing, I accepted the fact that I was a twisted bastard and began to fuck her hard and rough.

‘Hunter,’ she whimpered. Dropping her face to the mattress, Hope bit down on her small fist, and held her ass up for my onslaught. ‘Don’t stop,’ she begged. ‘Please…don’t ever stop.’

Insanely aroused, I fucked her to the point of pain for both her and me.

Sweat glistened on her body, while I was sweating all over from the sheer concentration it was taking not to come. I wanted to be everywhere. In every part of her. It wasn’t enough. I couldn’t get close enough.

‘Jesus Christ,’ I groaned, vein bulging in my neck. ‘I’m gonna come in your ass, sweetheart.’

‘Good!’ she screamed. ‘I wanna drown in you.’

Ah fuck…

‘I love you,’ I hissed, hips bucking frantically against her round ass. The sound of my balls slapping against her flesh was fucking audible. Jesus, I needed to slow down. I needed to take it easy but she wouldn’t let me.

‘I want it all,’ she commanded. ‘Every inch of you.’

Reaching around, I found her pretty little clit and pinched. The way her tight ass clamped my cock when she came had me spilling into her with a guttural snarl.

‘I love you,’ she whispered, flopping face down on the mattress. ‘I love you so much it hurts my chest.’

‘I know, HC,’ I soothed, pressing a kiss to the middle of her back. ‘I feel it, too.’

Read all about Lucky and Hope in the Carter Kids series