Seize (St. Martin Family Saga: Emergency Responders) Book 2: Erotic Romance (24 page)

“I’d like to be close with him again.” Olivia pulled away and shook her head. “Enough of that. Now, the reason I brought you in here is so that you might consider taking some of these things home.”

Home. To her new home. It hadn’t even been her home for twenty-four hours. That thought had her giggling.

“I keep telling Augie to take these quilts, but he says no one will ever need more than two.” She pulled blankets from a chest. “These were all hand quilted by his grandmother.”

“They’re beautiful.”

“She was a beautiful quilter. If she were here, she’d already be picking out the pattern for your double-wedding-ring quilt. I’m not as good as she was, but I’ll have to see what I can do.”

“What’s a double-wedding-ring quilt?”

“Let me show you the one she did for me.” She dug through the chest and pulled out a beautiful quilt of greens, pinks, and purples. “See the interlocking ring pattern? That symbolizes unity. It’s often given to commemorate a marriage.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“I haven’t been inside Augie’s bedroom, so you’ll have to get me a color scheme.”

“Okay, I definitely will. Or better still, I’ll have you over next week for dinner.”

His mother smiled and sniffled. “I’d love that.”

Looking again at the shelves, Mia traced over several bound books. Yearbooks. She pulled one from the shelf and started thumbing through it.

“Mom, you have a call.” Alex came inside and handed a cellphone to Olivia. They left Mia alone in Augie’s room. With five yearbooks surrounding her in the bed, she searched the index for pages featuring Augustine Roy.

After about an hour, she’d found all his pictures. He’d been in everything and loved by everyone. His roots were deep, and she was excited to become part of his world. She lay back on the bed and thought about the turn her life had taken.

*

Velvety lips on her cheeks woke her.

“Hey, sleepyhead.”

Dark smiling eyes peered down at her, and Augie’s fingers smoothed the hair from her face. He knelt and then pulled her into a sitting position and then to the edge of the bed.

“I like finding you asleep in my teenage bed,” he said. He gathered her hair together at her nape and pulled it over one shoulder. He’d closed the door and had an expectant look in his eye, a little smirk on the corner of his mouth.

“What are you scheming?”

“Lots.” He fiddled with something on the floor next to him. “Just thinking of all the things I’d like to do to you in this bed.”

“Wouldn’t that be weird? With your mom and brother downstairs?”

He laughed. “Yeah, I guess that would be pretty weird, although I think there might be something you could do to help me forget all thoughts regarding my family.”

“No way.”

He leaned in, taking her lips in his and sucking gently. The intensity increased when his tongue slid into her mouth. He tried to slide his hands under her shirt, but she was ready.

“Nah uh.” She held his hands in hers. “Twenty-four seven at our home, but not here.”

His playful mood became serious. “Our home. I love that. I’ve never thought of it as home, not really, until now.” He released her hands and put his behind his back, contorting his body.

“What have you got and what are you doing?”

“Close your eyes.”

She closed them, and he pulled at her shirt.

“Hey, I said not here.”

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes, but I—”

Wait, that wasn’t right. Mia lifted her hands to his cheeks and stared without blinking into his eyes. There were no
buts
—she trusted Augie with her life. She trusted him with her heart and her dreams and her future. She trusted him unconditionally.

“I trust you, Augustine Roy.”

She closed her eyes once more and lowered her arms. At first Augie said nothing, did nothing, but then he pressed a kiss to her forehead, whispering, “Thank you.” A moment later he removed her shirt and bra, but he didn’t stop there. She let him remove the rest of her clothing until she stood naked before him.

“You’re beautiful. Keep your eyes closed.”

She felt a cold weight at her neck and heard the snick of a clasp. Then her hands were in his.

“Open your eyes.”

He was on one knee before her as she stood, naked. “Will you wear my collar?”

Her hand went to her neck, and she felt the hardware there. “Have you ever given one to anybody else?”

“Never. I’ve never shared this, never wanted this, with another woman. It’s yet another way I can mark and take possession of you and feel less out of control.”

“I want to belong to you, want you to take care of me, so, yes, I’ll wear a gift that says I’m yours. I never want you to doubt my love for you.” She swallowed back the lump in her throat, hoping she wouldn’t cry.

“I will take care of you. You’ll never have to worry.”

She fingered the choker. “I want to see it.”

He stood and pulled her to the adjoining bathroom. “Look how beautiful you are.”

She gasped, not recognizing her dark irises and the bloom of color across her chest and face. Her hair was wild from the bed, her lips swollen from their kiss. The jewelry at her neck was vintage and dainty. Small scalloped blush-colored flowers were woven into the gold wire of the necklace, and colored jewels made up the petals. Small vintage diamonds circled the edge.

“It’s so pretty.”

“It means everything to me that you accept it and trust me to take care of all your needs. I love you.”

She couldn’t talk because her throat was so tight, it burned. She eventually whispered, “I love you, Augie,” and wrapped her hands around his neck.

Things would be different now. She would no longer be alone, responsible for holding everyone and everything together. Augie would help her, he would love her, and by proxy, her family. She loved him, and she needed him more than she needed air to breathe. And now he would always be there for her and she for him, sharing bits and pieces of one another until there was no distance left between them.
Oneness
. A joining. It was what she’d always longed for with her mom and dad, her sister, but never received. Augie’d given her the most precious gift, and she would cherish him and their love for the rest of her time on earth. He acted tough and macho and she loved his spirit, but he was gentle and reverent with her and she needed that part of him as much as the other. And he needed her too. He needed loyalty and friendship. He needed a woman who would put him ahead of all others, who would cherish him for the man he was.

The bonds of trust would grow and strengthen over time, uniting them together in a union that could never be undone. She once saw a little ritual performed at a small wedding in her hometown called a salt covenant. Each wedding party brought salt from their houses and combined the salts together into one container. Impossible to sort the salt after it had been combined, it symbolized the unbreakable vow of marriage and eternal love.

Epilogue

Two months after
Mia met Augie’s family, the big day was upon them. Clay and Evie were anxious to marry so Evie would have the St. Martin name and also so she could start the steps toward permanent residency. Since Augie and Mia were already married, they’d been happy to abide by the timeline.

The morning of the wedding, Mia awoke in a lonely bed. Lonely because her mother, Olivia, and Clara insisted she and Evie stay the night at the Roy estate. She’d had fun last night with the girls and her mother, but she missed Augie. They’d stayed on the phone until she’d fallen asleep. She reached for her phone now, intending to see if he was awake yet. Even as she lifted it from the nightstand, the display lit up with her favorite Augie picture.

She unplugged the charger and answered. “Hey.”

“Baby, I miss you.”

She giggled. They’d talked until two o’clock. “I miss you too.”

“They won’t let me in. I’m camped out at the pool house with Clay.”

“Maybe I can sneak over.”

“Doubt it; I already tried to sneak in. Whole place is on lockdown.”

She smiled. “I know.”

“There should be a breakfast tray in your room.”

She looked around and found it on an ottoman in the corner. “Oh, good, I’m starved.”

“Go get the tray and bring it over to the bed.”

“Hold on.” She started to climb down but heard his voice calling her back.

“Hey!”

She picked up the phone. “Yeah?”

“I love you.”

She giggled into the phone. “And I love you.”

“Glad to hear it. Go get the tray.”

She carefully placed the tray on the bed and climbed back up. A thick envelope with her name on it was half-hidden by a plate. She wedged the phone between her ear and shoulder and picked up the package. “There’s something here besides breakfast.”

“Open it.”

She found airline tickets to Bora Bora—Bora Bora!—and a note from Augie.

Michaela,

You, me, and the sea (too corny?). You’re the love of my life. A life that didn’t start until the day we met. You’ve taught me so much already, I can’t wait to live and love side by side for the next half century. It will feel like but a moment, so I intend to savor every second. Our bags are packed. As soon as the ceremony ends, we’re out of there. We can regale the family when we return. I need you.

Love you,

Augie

“Bora Bora! I can’t wait.”

“Did you see the huts?”

She picked up a pamphlet displaying bungalows perched above the water, complete with glass viewing floors.

“It’s beautiful. I saw these huts on the Travel Channel. Oh, Augie, how wonderful.”

“I ordered a meal package too, so we don’t ever have to leave the hut.”

“If you were here right now, I’d show you how much this means to me.”

He chuckled “Damn, baby, I had no idea you were so cruel.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Keep looking.”

She dug through additional papers until she found one that read
Birth Certificate
. The paper was embossed and as she ran her fingers over it, she felt the roughness from the decorative etching. Confused at first, she read and then reread it. The name
Michaela
Brown
finally jumped off the page. Mia gasped, and her eyes filled. She wasn’t normally so emotional, but damned if he hadn’t made her cry. And on her wedding day. She would look all puffy, but she didn’t care. Tears fell onto the newly printed paper.

“Babe?”

She inhaled jaggedly and said, “Augustine Charles Roy, hasn’t anyone ever told you that you shouldn’t make a bride cry on her wedding day?”

“Oh, baby, don’t cry.” She heard some shuffling and then, “Fuck this shit; I’m coming to you.”

A few minutes later she heard a commotion and then she was in his arms. His hand stroked her hair while he kissed the top of her head. The family—all of them, his and hers—stood in the hallway. Finally conceding, Olivia closed the door to afford them some privacy.

He squatted in front of her, so she had to look down to see his worried eyes.

“I just wanted to give you your identity—you are Michaela. I don’t want anything standing in the way of you coming to know the woman I see. You’re not a boy, you’re a beautiful sexy woman. Your curves drive me mad, and I can hardly keep my hands off of you. You move with grace and elegance.”

“Augie, it’s so perfect. I could never have dreamed you would do this, that it could even be done. It’s such a small little thing, one letter, but it means so much. You’ve always made me feel beautiful. Made me feel special. I can’t wait to marry you again, this time as Michaela.”

“Michaela. I’m glad you like your name now.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. “I always liked it. I just didn’t want to think about the missing letter.”

“Now it’s been found.” He smiled. “Now there’s nothing missing.”

She returned his smile, “It
has
been found.”
She
had been found.

And he was right. There was nothing missing any longer.

*

SURGE excerpt (Jackson and Clara’s story)

Excerpt has not been edited. Content may change upon final publication.

*

Where are you?

Clara’s man was extremely testy lately. She knew completing his hospital residency, along with his fulltime job as a paramedic, was taking a toll on Jackson, but she couldn’t convince him to slow down. She’d have to see what she could do to appease him. It was Saturday. He had the day off. It was the big day, Clay was marrying Eve; Augie was marrying Mia. Again.

She typed a reply text using just her thumbs.
Be there in a bit. Had to get brides b-fast trays
.

She’d told him to sleep in. Figured she’d be busy as wedding coordinator extraordinaire—she added the flair to her title.

Hurry, I need you.

She whispered, “Oh Cracker Jack, I need you more.” She smiled at the use of his namesake. He ate bags of the stuff while he completed endless mountains of paperwork and reports for med school.

She had known he wouldn’t stay in bed since she’d had to leave. She grabbed two mimosas from the kitchen and made her way out to the pool house where the men were staying. She wore khaki shorts and a white tank top. She’d done her hair and makeup, but hadn’t put on her bridesmaid dress yet so that she could move about freely. Surely there’d be a decoration to tape up, or some toile to adjust, and she wanted the freedom shorts could offer.

She opened the door to the pool house and found him slouched on the couch, a frown on his face. “Hey.” She walked over to him and straddled him on the couch. “I brought mimosas.” She teased him with the orange drink holding the glasses up but just out of reach. She kissed his lips and his pout started to turn. “But you can only have it if you promise not to be such an Oscar the Grouch.” She offered an exaggerated pout of her own.

His frown was back. “Come on Cracker Jack, it’s a most glorious day.”

“I’m on call. I can’t have it,”
big bottom lip protruding pout
.

“I told you to sleep in. You look tired.”

He traced a hair back behind her ear. “I missed my Bug.”

She giggled. “I think we were apart for about an hour.”

“I don’t care. I don’t like waking without you.” His eyes tightened. “And I’m not happy about today either. It’s been two years, we should be the ones getting married.”

She took a large sip of the champagne and orange juice before setting the glasses on the couch side table. Smiling against his lips she said, “We will baby. Soon. But we can’t move forward until we tell my brother, and we can’t do that until you finish your residency.”

“Why not?”

“Because that’s what we decided.”

“I want to revise the decision. Besides, I’m almost done.”

“How about I kiss you here,” she nipped at his lips, “and when we’re done with that, I’ll kiss you down here.” She fisted between his legs. “See if we can’t turn that frown upside down.”

A moan from deep in his throat vibrated his tongue and hers. One of his hands slid up the back of her neck to grip her hair while the other cupped her jaw. His kiss was demanding and needy. He explored her deeply and alternated rough and soft strokes. She loved his kiss, his touch, his everything, even his brooding.

He was ten years older than her and she’d loved him since she was seven years old. They’d started getting intimate when she was sixteen, he was twenty-six. It was part of the reason they hadn’t told her family.

Her hand fiddled with the hardware on his jeans, as she made a production of slowly undoing each button. She knew how it sounded; their admission wouldn’t paint a nice likeness of Jackson. She knew Clay had suspicions and had even alluded to their relationship, but they’d thrown him off the hunt numerous times. A fact neither of them was happy about. Luckily, Eve had kept him exceedingly distracted.

She pulled his cock free and gasped at the readiness of it. He chuckled. His deep blue eyes shimmered like sunlight on the deep sea. She shimmied down his legs to kneel on the floor. He grabbed a pillow, “Here bug don’t kneel on the hard floor.” She rose up and he slid the cushion under her knees.

Fisting his weight in her hands she licked the head before taking him between her lips. She pumped the root while applying light pressure with the suction of her mouth. He palmed her head and aided her efforts. “God Bug, I love being in your mouth.” She loved it too. Their connection had always been powerful. Their energy had been too potent to ignore. That’s what had happened when she was sixteen. And they couldn’t stop. It was as if one could not exist without the other. She took him deep, loving the feel of him and the groans he made for her.

“Shit! Your brother’s coming.” Her mind was disoriented but Jackson pulled her from the floor, the momentum throwing her forward onto him. His hands at her waist moved her onto the couch next to him. While he fastened his jeans, she lifted the pillow from the floor. The snick of the door opening occurred simultaneously.

Clay’s wide ice blue eyes met her own before they narrowed to slits. His gaze migrated over to Jackson and back to her. “Clara Grace what are you doing in here?” His deep baritone reverberated around the room.

“I was looking for you.” Jackson’s hand had started to rub against his jeans. She knew he hated the lies they sometimes had to tell to hide their relationship.

“I saw you walking out here like fifteen minutes ago. What have you been doing?” His eyes darted from her to Jackson.

“Been talking with Jackson.” His hand rubbed faster. “I brought mimosas, but he told me about being on call at the hospital.” She jumped up and skipped to Clay throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him square on the lips. “Such a wonderful day. I love you. I’m so happy my big brother is getting married to his one and only love.”

He squeezed her tight. “Love you too baby girl.”

“Are you being a good boy?” She smiled up at his six foot five frame.

“Augie’s the one you should be worried about. He’s in Mia’s room.”

“Are you serious. That’s not allowed.”

“She was crying.”

She gasped. “Why was she crying?”

Clay shrugged. “Augie made her cry.”

“What?”

“Bug—err, better go check on her Clara.” She turned to Jackson on the couch and couldn’t help the slight smile that was forming at the corner of her mouth.

She kissed Clay’s cheek. “Text me if you need anything.”

“Will do.”

She looked back at Jackson. He was always so serious. She’d seen him laugh just a few times and it was usually at something she’d done or said. She wished she could think of something now that would bring him relief. His eyes and his stiff body held so much pain it made her gut ache. Clay’s head was turned away from her so she held up the universal hand sign for
I love you
and then she blew him a kiss. The right side of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.

*

Jackson loved Clay. He loved the entire clan of St. Martins. He didn’t want to think about what would happen if they turned on him once they knew about his romance with Clara. And it was a romance, a huge whirlwind romance. God he loved her with everything he had. He was a man possessed. It wasn’t just her beauty, but everything about her. Her laugh, and there was more than one. There was the cute half committed chuckle she made when she was tired. There was the short burst of laughter that bubbled out when she got tickled at something she’d read or heard on television. There was the sexy breathless half moan, half giggle she made when he nuzzled behind her ear, her ticklish spot. And she was so kind to everyone. He loved her spirit. The door closed behind her and it was like someone shut off the oxygen that was keeping him alive.

“You okay there brother?”

Clay took the chair across from him. “Yeah, just tired.”

“You need to take better care of yourself. You’ve been working too many hours at the station. Along with your full days at the hospital, you’re gonna run out of steam.”