More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
“I don’t usually repeat myself, but for the sake of clarity, this is it. You’re mine now. Every part of you. You’ve been mine from the start, but now, you know it too. Understand?”
I love when men men
“Don’t test me. Someone touches you, they don’t disappear or lose a finger; they lose their life.”
Once again, i love when men men
“And what about you? Do I get to kill any woman who touches you?” A grin climbs to his ears as he keeps circling my clit, just enough to leave me hungry. “I would expect nothing less, but that will never happen. There’s only you, Little Storm. Always.”
“I was waiting.” “Waiting for what?” He sighs, both palms rising to cradle my cheeks. “You, Little Storm. I was waiting for you.”
IM TWEAKING ON THE PLANE
And in the depths of my heart, I understand—or want to. I’ve been asked out plenty of times, but no one ever felt right. I was waiting for a sense of belonging, a connection, a thrill. The wind who was willing to guide my sails. Waiting for Wells.
There’s no going back. Forever and always, I’ll belong to Gavin Wells.
She’s fucking perfect.
Brave, ardent, and vulnerable in a way no one else has ever seen. Mine.
“There you go. Come on my cock like a good girl.”
“I knew you’d feel like this—made for me. You’re so fucking perfect, Ivy. My brat, my storm, my good girl.”
“I knew you’d feel like that too. Perfect for me.”
Yep. She’s standing right in front of me.
“But I’m happy to be a passenger on your purpose until I find my own.” “You’re no one’s passenger, Ivy. You’re the destination.”
but Dr. Thomas Kingston is a genius, even in my world. And he used every skill he had to protect his daughter.
He stares pointedly at me. “I’ve seen the expression pass over you—the look I had on my face for fifteen months—when you speak about my daughter.” He raises a firm palm, halting my objections. “I’m not suggesting anything happen now. She’s got her work cut out for her and preparing her and protecting her must always be the priority. I don’t question that keeping her safe would be your priority though. You’ve become like a son to me over these years, earned my respect and my trust. So, if something should take shape, you have my blessing.”
And Ivanna Kingston grows more tempting by the day. She deserves better, but if she’s going to be in my world, she needs to be mine.
“Favorite food? Color? Side of the bed?” I stir while grabbing a knife for the butter. “Lasagna. Whatever shade of blue your eyes are at any given moment. And nearest to the door.” An under-her-breath giggle falls before she asks, “Any side that’s near the door? Why?” “For protection.” She nods, biting away a smile.
WELLS BABY
“This cunt is mine now. I own your pleasure, Ivanna. You need to come, you ask me.”
Her full, infectious cackle bounces off the ceiling and apparently acts as a beacon to the guys, who saunter in from the patio. Here we go. The three of them are all sporting smiles like the fucking Joker on their faces. And Liam starts clapping like a jackass. “Aww. Look at the happy couple. Finally fuck your bride, Chief?” “Jesus Christ,” I hiss. Ivy’s face blushes a lobster red as she stabs her eggs with a coy grin, but no comeback.
Ty must notice Ivy’s discomfort. He hugs her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. “Happy looks good on you, Freckles.” She reaches for his hand. “Thanks, Ty. I am.”
Gage drops onto the kitchen stool beside her. “Does this mean you won’t be baking anymore?” That eases all the tension, and she bursts out laughing, shooting a look to Liam, who winks back, affirming a proud, “Mission accomplished, High Society.” I’m guessing that’s in regard to the beignets. When I told him he was a fucking moron for defying orders, putting Ivy at risk, and returning with a souvenir of his insubordination, he insisted it was a sacrifice to help her acclimate because she wanted to win Gage over with food. Looks like it worked. “I’ll still bake, Big Guy,” she vows. “I don’t
...more
Wells quietly studies them all before locking on to me. “We were Navy SEALs.”
“Well, thank God. That’ll make Thanksgiving a lot fucking easier.” Ty and Liam immediately burst into laughter, which has Wells chuckling too. But while Gage is smirking, he seems unsure, so I test the waters. “Especially yours, Big Guy. If genetics are any indication, one of you is more than enough. I can only bake so many pies.” He nods with a faint grin, and while I don’t think that means he suddenly trusts me with his past, he’s more at ease.
I’m okay. I have you.”
“You changed everything, Ivanna. Turned it all upside down. The moment I saw you, I knew I was lost to whatever path you carved for me.” Sometimes, the way he touches me or phrases things, it’s like a whisper in disguise. A ripple in a pond.
Whose are you?” “Yours,” I purr, biting back a whimper. “Mine. All mine, Ivanna.” He picks up his pace, and my back arches as I draw nearer. “That’s my girl. Come for me now, baby.”
“I’m so sorry. I don’t … I shouldn’t have asked.” He tugs me into his arms, pressing me into his chest. “Don’t apologize for being a friend. Just let us take care of you. Okay?”
“Don’t do that. Don’t pity me for one second. They’re my family. You are my family. Anything else I want, I take. It doesn’t matter what I didn’t have. It matters what I do.”
“Pick your favorite car, Ivanna.”
He twists me and lays my upper half face down on the car, ignoring what I said and peeling my shoes, yoga pants, and panties off. “I need to fuck you, Ivanna. Then, we’ll shower.”
“This moment with you is worth a hundred of these, Little Storm. It’s worth every car in this garage a hundred times over. Every moment with you is.”
“My perfect, precious girl,” he breathes. “Nothing else matters now. Understand? Nothing.” And even though I can’t possibly comprehend the pain Wells or any of the guys went through, somehow, I understand. Nothing else matters now.
“Look, Wells, I love this life with you. I do. With all of you. And I don’t even care that we’re holed up here, but I need answers. I deserve answers.”
The way you all bounced off one another. This information was important. You wanted me to connect with what you were telling me.” Jesus Christ. She’s fucking brilliant. The guys say nothing, waiting for my response. All eyes on me. As well as I know this woman, she still surprises me.
I signal subtly to Ty, who eyes Liam and Gage. They all say their good nights to Ivy—a delicate palming of her head, a shoulder squeeze, a kiss in her hair. I’ve trained myself to accept it. She feels at home and cherished here, and although I want to be the only one who offers her that, she needs them like I do. We really are a family now. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep that intact. Things she probably can’t fathom.
“I like the way you see me—that’s all,” she whispers.
“I do see you, Ivy. Amazing, brilliant, and beautiful in every goddamn way. My good girl.”
“She may be your wife but keeping her in the dark doesn’t work for me. You’re underestimating how she feels about you, Wells. How she feels about all of us. She won’t give that up. But she deserves time to accept this before they put her through whatever version of hell we all have waiting.”
“We tell her now—or soon—and see how she handles it. If things go south, we’ve got time to do what’s necessary to protect her and disappear.” My head snaps up. “Without her? ’Cause fuck that! She’ll have to forgive me because I’ll chase her to the ends of the earth.” Liam shakes his head, his features more subdued than usual. “Not without her. We don’t go anywhere without her.” “Agreed,” Gage says, which, again, screams how special my Little Storm is. Two months ago, he would have thrown her to them to save our asses without a second thought. “Glad we’re all on the same page.” Ty sighs, arms
...more
“They do. You’re mine in every way, Little Storm. Out there, I worship you as my queen, and in here, I make you my slut. But only because queen by day and slut by night works for us both. Which is why, wherever we are, I need you to tell me if something’s too much. Because you’re my priority. Always. Understand?”
“Tell me you know there is nothing more important to me than you. No matter what else happens, I need you to know that.”
“I know I’m your greatest priority,” I assure him. “My gut shouts it. It’s what scared me, the way I feel about you. Sometimes, I don’t understand this between us. It came out of nowhere. How did I find you?” His features contort with an emotion I can’t identify. “It’s the other way around, baby. A million-dollar question.”
He probably thinks I’m raging, but I don’t feel angry. I feel absent. Vacant.
There’s only one thing I can manage to ask—my deepest fear—frozen to the knowledge that I’m a job to the man I’m hopelessly in love with—my husband. “Was this … you and me … was any of it real?” And the pain of having to ask that question opens a floodgate I’m afraid might never close.
Wait im actually crying
“Yes, Ivanna. Every moment between us has been real.”
“Because I’m in love with you. So in love that you make me lose my goddamn mind. I don’t even know when it first happened, but I know you feel it. You know my feelings are genuine. You’re my everything.” His eyes are brimming with unshed tears—yet another sight I never thought I’d see. Mine won’t stop falling because I do feel the truth in that declaration. I felt it in moments before it ever made sense. And this is what I wanted—to be loved by Gavin Wells—but not like this.
“Don’t think of it like that. You’re priceless to me, Ivy. My whole world. You know that.” I shove my chair back, springing out of it like it’s an active volcano spurting me forth. “And you know what I’m fucking asking!”
didn’t owe me anything then, but he does now. “Was my father—the man who raised me—paying you to protect me for those five years?” “Yes. Ten million.” That pisses me off for whatever reason. Fuck. I’m so angry. And so damn hot. I rip off my hoodie and chuck it to the couch behind me, leaving myself in a tiny tank. “Not so noble then, Mr. Wells. Double-dipping to milk every cent out of me.”
That’s why my dad reacted when he saw Wells that first day with me. Was he happy to see Wells? Relieved?
“So, the day we met, you and Ty knew … and you already felt something for me … how?” “You’d been under my skin for years, Ives, since the beginning. Although you were so young then, but you still got to me—an obsession in ways. I thought day and night about how to make this all easier on you, how to keep you safe. I watched you thrive in college, saw how strong you were, how you were the light in every goddamn room you walked into, and I dreamed about how maybe, one day, you’d be mine. But, Jesus, you’re more than I ever imagined, baby.”
