Insta-Ever After: A Flirt Club Novella Collection Page 12

  “When was the last time?”

  “Right before you left. I couldn’t bring myself to be with anyone else.”

  Fuck, that nearly does me in. “I’ve been with other women,” I say, guilt coursing through me. “I was trying to forget you. It didn’t work. Neither did trying to drink you away.”

  Her fingers slide through my hair and I focus on her beautiful eyes. “It’s okay. I understand.”

  “Two women. That was it. I figured it out real quick. Women and whiskey aren’t my vices. I focused on writing songs…for you. I’ve been celibate for three years. Waiting to be good enough for you.”

  She reaches behind her back and unclasps her bra, the fabric falling to the floor and revealing her gorgeous tits. “You’re the only one for me, Langley.”

  I wrap her in my arms and slide the two of us up the bed, my cock pressing between her thighs, nudging insistently at the barrier of her panties. “Let’s get these off you.”

  She nods and giggles when I pull them down her hips. My lips trail over her soft curves and down to the apex of her thighs. “I need you. God, I need you right now.”

  Her hips buck and she moans when my kisses rest over her clit. I need to taste the honey between her legs and this is the perfect way to get her ready for me before I take her.

  She cries out and clutches at my hair, pulling hard and making me groan as I rut against the mattress. My fingers sink inside her heat and a flood of wetness coats them. She’s warm and slick and perfect.

  “God, Langley.” Her walls clench around me as I bring her over the edge and I know I can’t wait any more.

  “I’m going to take you bare, baby. Are you on the pill?” I growl as I crawl up her body.

  She shakes her head. “I’m not.”

  That stops me. I have no problem with knocking her up here and now, but she’s got a whole life here. A baby might not be in her plans. “Do you want me to get a condom?”

  “No. I want you inside me. I want everything with you, and if that means we have a baby, then that’s what happens. I meant it when I said I love you. I’m yours forever.”

  My cock jerks at the honest need in her voice. “I’m yours too.” Then I press against her opening and sink inside at a torturously slow pace. We both groan and shudder as pleasure overtakes us. She feels so good. So fucking right. Her body is a magical healing balm to my soul.

  I thrust in and out, arms shaking with the effort not to lose control right away. I need to coax out one more orgasm from her before I have my release. She wraps her legs around my waist and rolls her hips up to meet my movements, sending me deeper inside her. Her soft breaths become harsh, ragged pants, and she cries out as I hit the spot inside her that makes her come apart. Then, with a cry of her name, I fill her with my pleasure, marking her as mine.

  Noelle

  Saturday evening I stare at myself in the long mirror behind my bedroom door. My cheeks are flushed with excitement. Tonight we save Holt’s Tree Farm and I can’t wait to see Langley in action with his band.

  Easton Harrison and the rest of the guys arrived last night so I had to give up Langley for the evening. In all honesty, I needed the time to make a little holiday magic of my own. I stayed up all night making a gingerbread replica of the farm house and rows of individually iced cookie trees. Now, the cookie display is on its way to the Holt’s and I’m almost ready to go meet Langley and the rest of the town.

  With one final touch up of my red lipstick, I adjust my white skirt and green sweater combination and head to meet the love of my life.

  The overflow parking lot is completely full as I take the driveway up to the main house. Lights line the trees, beautiful colors glowing and twinkling through the rows. When I reach the house, I pull in to the spot Langley reserved for me, right next to his dad’s old truck. My door opens before I can move to do it myself and I’m face to face with Langley. He looks every inch the rock star in his leather jacket and jeans.

  “Wow,” he says. “You’re like a Christmas miracle brought to life.”

  I laugh. “And you’re like…well, a rock star.”

  His cheeks turn pink and he leans in to kiss me. “Ready to kick this show into high gear?”

  Nodding, I take his offered hand and we walk through the amazing winter wonderland Langley and I put together with the help of the town. My dad sits in a sleigh, dressed in his gorgeous Santa suit, the line of kids curling down through the lighted path and past the live reindeer. Carolers stroll around the displays of decorated trees, all available as auction items.

  “Your gingerbread made my mom cry,” he whispers, nuzzling my neck.

  “In a good way?”

  “In the best way.”

  I catch sight of Easton Harrison standing with his wife and their baby. He’s signing autographs and posing for pictures while she cuddles their little one and watches him with pure adoration in her eyes. “Is it good to have them here?” I ask.

  He grins. “Yeah. It’s amazing.”

  “I’m glad you asked them.”

  “Me too. Thank you for giving me the push I needed to ask for help.”

  Mr. Holt stands at the edge of everything, his hand resting on a cane for support. His expression is stony, and I can see so clearly the same proud characteristics in his son. “How’s your dad doing with all this?”

  “He’s not happy with me. But I don’t care. You were right when you said this community helps each other out. When it’s our turn to help, we’ll do all we can.”

  God, I love this man. Easton catches his eye and smiles, excusing himself as he takes his wife’s hand and their little family approaches us.

  “Is this Noelle?” he asks, looking from Langley to me.

  Langley beams and wraps his arm around me. “This is my Noelle.”

  Easton holds out a hand and I take it, trying not to smile like an idiot in the presence of someone so famous. “Nice to meet you. This guy hasn’t stopped talking about you since almost day one.”

  “I’m Ireland,” Easton’s wife says, her smile bright and genuine. “From what I hear, you’re about to join our family.”

  I blush, my cheeks burning. We’ve talked about getting engaged, but part of me wonders if that was all in the heat of the moment. “We’ll see.”

  She cocks a brow and stares at Langley. “You’d better not let her get away. Not after everything Easton told me about you two.”

  Easton gives her a glare and she throws one right back. I can’t help but laugh at their dynamic. Whiskey Sour seems like the right way to describe them. No wonder he wrote that song.

  “Attention everyone.” The mayor of our little town stands in the center of the stage with a wide grin on his face. “I’m pleased to welcome you all to the Holt’s Tree Farm Christmas Celebration. We hope it will be the start of a new tradition here where we can all gather and celebrate the season by offering support to local businesses and causes close to our hearts. This year, it’s Holt’s itself. The Holt family has done a lot for our town, and now it’s time for us to pay them back. One-hundred percent of the money collected tonight will be put into a fund to help save our favorite farm.”

  He looks to Langley’s dad and gives a tight nod. “Next year, Bill, you choose the cause. We’ll be here again.”

  Bill gives a shaky thumbs up and smiles. So, he’s not so mad after all.

  “Now, put your hands together and welcome our hometown boy, Langley Holt and his band, along with Easton Harrison.”

  The crowd cheers and Langley presses a hard kiss on my lips before heading for the stage and picking up his guitar.

  I watch him play in a daze. He’s gorgeous, and his voice is perfect as he joins in and sings harmony with Easton’s melody. Three songs in and I know if he wanted me to, I’d travel the world with him just to see him in his element.

  “It’s addictive, isn’t it?” Ireland asks between songs.

  “Yeah. It’s magic.”

  She grins. “Like I said, welcome t
o the family.”

  The mayor walks on stage and whispers something in Langley’s ear while they’re setting up for another song. I see it the moment he registers what he’s being told. A light goes off in his eyes. Langley heads to confer with the rest of the band and Easton claps him on the shoulder before taking a seat at the back of the stage.

  My belly tightens as Langley takes the frontman spot and locks gazes with me. He clears his throat and says, “I know you’re all here to see Easton, but I’ve got something special I need to say. There’s a girl I’ve been writing songs about since the day I left here. I’ve been in love with her all this time, and I promised I’d never leave again. But she said I couldn’t ask her a very important question until we saved this farm.”

  Oh God. My knees are shaking as he strums a few chords and winks. “First, I want her to hear the last song I wrote before I came home.”

  The audience erupts into hoots and hollers as he starts. He sings about us, about what he wished we had and about the regrets that stayed with him all these years. My heart breaks and mends all at once. When he finishes, there are tears running down my cheeks and Ireland is holding my hand.

  “Go to him,” she urges.

  He hands Easton his guitar and hops off the stage, rushing to pull me into his arms. “Don’t cry, baby. Please don’t.”

  “I just…it was beautiful.”

  Then, he drops to one knee and pulls out a diamond ring. “I said I’d wait until we saved the farm. Well, we did that. The mayor just told me we exceeded the fundraising goal. Now, Noelle, will you marry me?”

  I nod and laugh and cry all at once. “Yes. Yes, of course.”

  He slips the ring on my finger and stands, wrapping me in his arms and crushing his lips to mine. The world around us fades away and all I see is him. The man I love. The one I always knew I belonged with.

  Langley

  One year later:

  “Happy anniversary, baby,” I murmur against Noelle’s soft hair. I run my palm over her hip and around to cup the gentle swell of her belly. She’s six months pregnant with our first child and I can’t wait to meet our little girl.

  She sighs and rolls over in bed, her gorgeous smile my favorite thing to see in the morning. “Do you have a present for me?”

  “I do. Actually, I have two.”

  “Two?” There’s mischief in her tone. “Does one get me an orgasm?”

  “Absolutely,” I whisper, nuzzling her neck. My dick is hard and ready for her, and she’s been so needy since she got pregnant.

  I slide my fingers up her thighs and groan when I find her bare under her nightgown. Her answering cry of pleasure sends sharp need through me. “You’re so wet and ready,” I groan.

  Her hand slides down my chest until she reaches my dick. I nearly lose it then and there. “I need you inside me.” She straddles me, not taking any time before she slides me inside her and, God, the friction is delicious.

  I slide my hand over her belly as she rocks her hips, chasing her release. She’s so responsive and sensitive because of the baby. Her brow furrows and I feel it start, that familiar pulse and clench of her walls around my cock. It goes on and on, her cries getting louder as the prolonged orgasm takes her. “Fuck, baby,” I moan. “You’re going to make me lose it.”

  “Yes,” she says.

  That’s all I need. I spill my climax inside her, toe-curling pleasure racing through every nerve-ending in my body.

  We lie together in the warm glow of our lovemaking and she trails her fingertips over my bare chest. “That’s one down. What’s my other present?”

  I chuckle and kiss her temple. “It’s under the tree.”

  She sits up and gives me a quizzical look. “It’s not Christmas until tomorrow.”

  “But I married you on Christmas Eve, so you get a present today.”

  Her lips quirk up in a smile and I stand, not missing the hungry look in her eyes as she takes in my naked body. I feel the same about her. I could have her every day and it still wouldn’t be enough.

  Her stomach growls, the sound filling the room.

  “Hungry?” I ask.

  “Pretty much always these days.”

  I laugh and tug on some pajama bottoms. “You get cleaned up, I’ll start the pancakes.”

  She sighs. “My hero.” Then she gets out of bed and saunters to the bathroom, the sound of the shower starting making me wonder if she’d be willing to go another round and get a little dirty before we both get clean. “Bacon too,” she calls from the open door.

  Okay, so maybe feeding the pregnant woman is a better idea. I head downstairs and whip up the pancake batter, turning on some music as I cook. When she comes down, she’s dressed in a soft cream sweater and black leggings. Her baby bump is on full display in the fitted sweater and a rush of pride hits me at the evidence of our love.

  I slide a plate of bacon and pancakes across the table and while she’s pouring syrup atop them, I grab her gift. She meets my gaze and places her fork on the table before taking a single bite.

  “What did you do? This is a tiny package. Expensive things come in tiny packages.”

  I laugh. “Just open it, wife.”

  She tears into the paper and opens the blue velvet box. Her eyes glisten with tears as she pulls out the custom made mistletoe necklace. “Mistletoe.”

  “It doesn’t have to be Christmas for us to have magic. I want you to always keep this reminder of us and how we came back together. That way, even when I’m on tour, you don’t forget how important you are to me.”

  She pushes back her chair and walks around the table to me. “You are in so much trouble, Langley Holt.”

  “Why?” I laugh and hold her to me.

  “It’s not nice to make a pregnant woman cry.”

  “I love you, baby.”

  I take the necklace from her and fasten it around her neck.

  “I love you too,” she says.

  “You know what?” I ask.

  She offers me a questioning glance. “What?”

  “You’re under the mistletoe right now.”

  Her grin sends thrilling happiness through me and I cup her jaw as I drop my lips to hers in just one of the uncountable kisses I know we’ll share throughout our lives together.

  27

  This is our year

  Scarlett

  “This year I am going to have a baby.”

  I re-read the group chat on my phone, the message from my Oak Ridge University alumnus and Mi Alpha Alpha sorority sister adding to my resolve.

  Stacy:

  Remember, ladies. Do it. Whatever it is you want to do. Wherever you have wanted to go. Whatever you want to try, to taste, to feel, to live....do it. This is our year.

  I take a deep breath and focus on my reflection. “I am going to have a baby.”

  The words don’t sound real even as I say them. I stare down at my ringless left hand and the wedding dress hanging in my open closet, and I wonder if this is a terrible decision. When Bryce left me last year, a day before our wedding, I’d thought I’d never recover. I’d just lost everything I’d planned for. My entire future, gone with one short sentence. “I don’t want you.” But now, it’s New Year’s Eve and I’m ready to take the steps I need to get the life I deserve. Part of that is my family. I don’t need a husband to have a baby. I just need a willing guy to provide his half of the DNA.

  My hands shake as I grip my phone and stare at Max’s number. He’s my brother’s best friend, the guy I grew up with, and the perfect choice for my proposal. Never mind that he has gorgeous brown eyes and a perfect swimmer’s build. He’s also completely unattached, successful, driven, and smart. All qualities I want passed down to my child.

  I type a quick text and hit Send before I can chicken out.

  Hey, is the invitation to your NYE party still open?

  He responds within a few seconds, bringing a smile to my lips.

  Always for my favorite girl. What time will I see you?r />
  I bite my lower lip, a thrill of excited energy running through me. I can see him now, standing at the balcony of his rooftop bar, looking over the chilly streets of New York.

  I’ll be there by 11.

  I’ll be waiting.

  Rushing to my closet, I rifle through the few sparkly cocktail dresses I’ve designed over the years. My fingers slide over the fabrics, sequins, beads, shimmery metallics. All of them would work, but for this I need to break out the big guns. I pull out the dress I wore to my engagement party. It’s silver with a back low enough I can’t wear underwear. I’ll have to be careful tonight. Something tells me Max won’t want me flashing any of the bar patrons.

  A text comes through and I grin, hoping it’s Max. Instead I see it’s from my brother Logan, and I frown.

  Max says you’re going out tonight.

  My frown deepens. I don’t want my big brother interrupting me tonight.

  It’s NYE. I’m single. Of course I’m going out.

  Last I heard, you said you’d be a hermit forever.

  I changed my mind.

  He doesn’t know about the pact I made with my girlfriends. We all resolved to do something we’ve never done before, take a step we wanted to take, or make a change. My resolution is all of those things, but I can’t share that with my brother. He won’t understand.

  Want me to come out too?

  My reply is lightning fast. No.

  Hot date?

  No way. But you never know where the night will lead.

  Just be safe.

  I smile. He’s always been protective, but after our parents died when he was eighteen and I was fourteen, he took on a fatherly role. I promise.

  Slipping the dress over my head, I wiggle and watch the hem swish and sway, the glitter in the fabric catching the light. I look a little like a disco ball, and that makes me grin. Even if this doesn’t work, I’m sure I’ll have fun. Max always makes things fun.

  Fifteen minutes later, I’m in a cab heading to SoHo, nerves fluttering in my belly, heart racing. Max could say no. He could laugh at me. Or…he could say yes and change my life.