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  “Now, I’ve listened to you rant and rave at me. Now you’re going to listen to me. I love you with all my being. I know that we haven’t known each other for a long time, but I know what I feel inside. From the moment I saw you I knew that you were the one woman that could take my heart. Hell, that morning over breakfast while we talked I knew that I had to have you—not just in my bed, but in my life permanently as my wife and the mother of my children.” Jack took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I can’t explain how it happened or why it happened so fast, but it did, and I’m going to do any and everything in my power to make it so.”

  Nicole leaned her head against his chest. “How can you know that I love you when I’m not sure of it myself?” she asked.

  “I see it in your eyes, even behind the tears.”

  Nicole looked up into his eyes. “Make love to me, Jackson,” she whispered.

  Jack didn’t have to be asked twice. Scooping her up into his arms, he carried her into the bedroom. There, he removed her clothes and placed warm kisses along the side of her neck. Nicole unbuttoned his shirt.

  Her hands touched his chest, and Jack groaned deep in the back of his throat. “I need you so much, Nicole.”

  On the bed, Jack captured her mouth in a searing kiss, his hardness at the junction between her legs. He ended the kiss, and Nicole whimpered. He took her breast into his mouth, and her whimpers turned into moans of pleasure. Jack parted her legs with his knee and positioned his tip at her opening.

  “You’re my first,” she said.

  “I’ll be your only,” Jack said in a hoarse voice, the wetness between her legs telling him she was ready. Looking into her eyes as he entered her, he paused for a moment as he came to the maidenhead.

  “Don’t make me wait any longer, Jackson, I need you inside me now.” Her voice sounded demanding and firm.

  Unable to wait any longer himself, Jack completely embedded himself inside her. The gasp that escaped his lips surprised him. He stilled his movements, trying to give her body a chance to get used to him. Jack gritted his teeth to keep from allowing his body to take over.

  “It feels so good to be inside you,” he whispered against her ear. Nicole shifted just a bit. “Honey, don’t move just yet,” Jack said through gritted teeth.

  “It feels good, Jackson. I have to move. I can’t stay still,” she said hesitantly and shifted her hips again.

  Jack groaned. Unable to hold back, he moved inside her. Nicole met him thrust for thrust. She tightened around him, and he sensed she teetered on the verge of climaxing. He reached between them and used his thumb to stroke her sensitive bud, effectively pushing her over the edge. Her release triggered his. Jack felt complete, as if something had been missing from his life and now he’d found it. Not wanting to crush her with his weight, he rolled over on to his back, taking Nicole with him. He kept her in his arms and whispered how much he loved her, their bodies still joined. Folding her arms across his chest, she stared into his eyes.

  “I hope you realize what you’re getting into,” she whispered.

  “Don’t worry, my love, I know.” Jack reached for his pants on the floor and sought out a velvet box. Opening it, he picked out the ring he’d purchased earlier.

  Nicole shook her head and tried to slide off of him, but he wouldn’t let her. She balled her hands into tight fists. Jack cupped her at her nape, pulling her mouth to his. The kiss ended her protest. Her hands relaxed, and he slipped the ring onto her finger. Jack ended the kiss.

  “Will you marry me?” Before she could answer, Jack kissed her again.

  He hardened once more. Nicole placed kisses down his throat. Her hand ran across his chest, and his nipples tautened. She swirled her tongue around them. Jack gripped her hips and bent his knees. Nicole ground her hips. Extreme pleasure coursed through Jack’s body. She rode him, moving up and down his rigid cock, driving them to an explosive climax.

  The climax came upon them so fast and furious that it left them breathless. Nicole collapsed on top of him. Once able to speak again, Jack asked for the answer to his question.

  Turning on his side, bringing them face to face, he asked, “Well, love, what’s your answer?”

  Nicole looked deeply into his eyes. “Yes. I mean no.”

  His laughter shook her body. “I’m sorry, honey, but we have to go with your first answer. We need to hurry and set a date. I’ll have my mom check with our pastor to see when he can perform the ceremony.”

  “So I guess this means that when we go shopping for a dress for Ashley, I’d better find one for myself?”

  “That would be a good idea. When do you want to tell your parents?” he asked, and immediately she tensed.

  “I’ll tell Mom tonight.”

  “What about your dad?”

  Nicole just shrugged.

  “Honey, you have to tell him.”

  “I’ll tell him on the day of.”

  “Who’s going to give you away?”

  She shrugged again. “I can give myself away, or…do you think the twins would mind doing it?”

  “I’m sure that they won’t mind at all, but, honey, why don’t you want your dad there?” Jack didn’t want him there, but he didn’t want her views swayed by his.

  “He stopped being my father the day he decided to stop paying my tuition. I don’t even remember him being around long enough for me to call him Dad. He’s nothing to me.”

  Jack heard the anguish in her voice, even though she tried to disguise it. He pulled her to him and kissed her, tightening his arms around her. “It’s up to you, honey. If you want to invite him you can, but either way, he needs to be told, if not by you, then I’ll tell him.”

  In his office, Nicholas spoke on the phone, frowning. Ashley walked in, stuck out her tongue, and moved it from side to side. His eyes widened. Ashley blushed. Nicholas knew exactly what she was thinking about. His lovely wife-to-be had so distracted him that he missed the last question that was asked.

  “Are you still there, Nick?” Charlie asked.

  “Yeah, sorry, I was a little distracted. Hold on for one second.” Nicholas hit the hold button, not giving Charlie a chance to respond. “You’re wicked, do you know that?”

  “I’ll show you just how wicked I can be when you get home.” She walked up to him, gave him a kiss full of promise, and moved for the door.

  Nicholas stood mesmerized at the sway of her hips, the way her skirt hugged her rounded bottom. Oh, man, I got it bad. His phone beeped loudly, reminding of the call he’d placed on hold.

  “Sorry about that, guys,” he began, but Charlie cut him off.

  “Hey, man, what were you doing? Playing with that beautiful designer of yours? If you weren’t, I’d love to.”

  Nicholas squashed the spurt of jealousy. “I’m sorry, old boy, but she’s engaged.” He tried to leave it at that, but Charlie had other plans.

  “To whom?” Charlie inquired.

  Smiling, Nicholas said, “To me. Now if you guys don’t have anything else, I need to get home.”

  “Nick, tell me you’re kidding.”

  Surprised at how truly wounded Charlie sounded, Nicholas said, “Nope, I’m not kidding. We’re to be married this Saturday.”

  “So I have some time to convince her that you’re not the right one for her?”

  Nicholas let out a long and drawn out sigh. “I’m sorry, Charlie, but if you tried I’d have to kill ya.” Nicholas ended the call, grabbed his things, and headed for the elevator.

  In the lobby, a woman stood at the guard’s desk. For some unexplainable reason, he felt that she was there to see him. About to approach her, he thought about getting home to Marcus before his bath. Smiling, he remembered how much fun they had playing in the tub. Quickly, before he changed his mind, Nick ducked out the back exit.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Ashley loved the size of the kitchen. So did her son. Marcus was having a wonderful time in his walker, running all over the kitchen floor. Just as she f
inished the salad, an engine rumbled—Nicholas pulling in to the garage. Apparently, Marcus heard him also. He rolled over to the door that led to the garage and chanted, “Dada!”

  Nicholas opened the door and found his son with his arms outstretched. “Hello, my man!” He bent to pick him up, accepting the wet kiss offered. “Are you having fun?”

  Ashley had stopped what she was doing to watch her two favorite men in the world. Nicholas walked over to where she stood by the table and planted a kiss on her lips.

  “How’d your conference call go?” she asked and continued to set the table.

  “Fine until Charlie said that he wanted to take you out.”

  “He what?” she asked, incredulous.

  “I told him that you were engaged to me and that we would be married Saturday,” Nicholas said with a smug look on his face.

  “What did he say then?”

  “Only that he still had time to change your mind.”

  Ashley hid her smile. Whether or not Charlie was kidding, she got the feeling that Nick didn’t appreciate it.

  “Something smells wonderful. What did you make?” He checked the pots on the stove.

  “Go and wash up while I put dinner on the table.”

  Nicholas gave in to the urge to kiss her again before he went to do her bidding. “Come on, Marcus, let’s go wash up.”

  Surprised that Ashley didn’t bring up the meeting with her brother over dinner, he knew that the wait had to be killing her. He had to give it to her—she waited until after they’d given Marcus his bath and put him to bed. They were in what was now her favorite room in the house. She loved the study, she said, loved sitting on the leather sofa in front of the picture window. It gave such a beautiful view of the back yard, the nice huge garden that she liked to explore.

  She had opened the doors, letting in a cool breeze and the fragrant smell of roses. Nicholas stood in the doorway, watching the way the breeze gently lifted her hair away from her face. She seemed so relaxed, so serene. God, how he loved her. Just the thought of her not being a part of his life scared him.

  “Are you just going to stand there and stare, or are you going to come over here and join me?” she asked.

  Nicholas walked over and sat next to the woman he loved, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her back up against his chest. They sat in silence, holding each other and enjoying the view.

  Nicholas was about to say something when the phone rang. Reaching over, he answered it. Hearing his brother’s voice, he smiled. “Hold on, Jack, let me put you guys on speaker.” Nicholas walked over to the desk, taking Ashley along with him. “Okay, go ahead.”

  “We just wanted you guys to be the first to know.”

  Ashley frowned at the sound of Nicole’s voice. “First to know what?”

  “That we’re getting married.”

  “What?” Ashley exclaimed.

  “I decided to do as you suggested and follow my heart.”

  Ashley heard the joy in her niece’s voice and was so happy for her, knowing she had made the right decision. “So we’ll be looking for two wedding dresses on Wednesday, right?”

  “That’s right.”

  After the call ended, Nicholas pulled Ashley into his arms and kissed her.

  “Now, would you like to know how my meetings went today?” he asked as they walked back over to the sofa.

  “Only if you would like to tell me about them.”

  Nicholas’ booming laughter wiped the smile from her face. Reaching behind him, Ashley pinched his butt.

  “Ooh, that’s kinky. Do it again,” Nicholas growled. “Honey, I know that you’ve been dying to ask me, and I’m real proud that you didn’t start baking and cooking all this food because you were worried.”

  Nicholas told Ashley a cleaner version of what was said between her brother and himself. He also told her about the skanky secretary. Ashley listened patiently.

  “So what do you have on him?” she asked when Nick had finished.

  Nicholas looked at her with surprise and feigned innocence.

  “If you don’t tell me what you have on him, I’m going to go upstairs and pack my bags,” she threatened.

  “Okay, Ash, don’t play. You’re not going anywhere.”

  “Try me.”

  Nick started to call her bluff, but the fear of her leaving him proved too strong. Running a hand through his hair in agitation, he told her about the FBI’s investigation of her brother. Ashley stared up at him, totally speechless.

  “I knew he was a sorry, worthless worm, but I had no idea he was this bad. Oh, my God, we can’t tell Nicole.”

  “I know, honey. This will stay between us. I told Jack, but I know he won’t say anything. He says Nicole’s still reeling from him forcing you to pay her tuition.”

  “She knows about that?” Ashley asked. Nick nodded, and she dropped her head into her hands. “I didn’t want her to know.”

  “I know you were trying to protect her, but she’s a grown woman, and she’s strong like you.”

  “I know you’re right, honey, but I remember how much it hurt when Robert turned my parents against me and had them send me away.”

  Nicholas hated hearing the anguish in her voice when she talked about her past. He wished he could somehow erase it from her memory. He couldn’t make her forget it forever, but he could give her something else to think about. Before Ashley knew what he was about, Nick scooped her up and, after closing the doors leading to the garden and setting the alarm, he carried her upstairs to bed.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Saundra was surprised at the doorbell ringing so early in the morning. She glanced up from her morning paper to the clock on the stove. Eight thirty. Who could it be? She walked to the front door, checked the peep hole, and tried to see who it was. The woman outside had her face turned to the side.

  Saundra opened the door, startled to see Mary Remington standing before her.

  “Well, are you going to invite me in, or am I to stand out here?”

  Saundra lifted her eyebrow at the woman’s tone. “You can stand at the gates of Hell for all I care. What do you want?” Saundra didn’t move to allow her entry.

  “I would like to talk to you about my grandson.”

  “You don’t have a grandson. Don’t you remember when I came to you after his father died? Your words were that any product of our marriage would not be related to you. You didn’t even want him to have the Remington name.” Saundra folded her arms across her chest and stared at the woman—a woman that she’d tried to hate, but realized long ago that Mary had done her a favor. There was no way she could take away the love that she and Nicholas’ father had shared, and she was sure Mary Remington wouldn’t have accepted Jack and the twins. Thinking about how much she loved Nicholas’ father, she decided that he would have wanted her to give his mother another chance. Stepping aside, she said, “Come on in. I’ll fix you a cup of coffee.”

  Once seated at the table, Saundra again asked Mary what she wanted. Mary’s face showed awe and surprise at Saundra’s huge house. The two-story home was immaculate and spacious. I bet she’s wondering how I can afford my home. Saundra thought about answering the unasked question, but decided against it. “Are you going to tell me why you’re here or not?”

  “I’m not sure where to start. When you came to me after Nicholas died, I turned you away. I thought it was justified, but now I know that I was wrong. I wronged you, my son, and my grandson.”

  “Huh, it took you all of thirty years to realize that?” Saundra asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  “I know you may not believe me, Saundra, but I know that I was wrong and I would like to make things right and get to know my grandson. He’s entitled to his father’s estate, and I mean to see that he gets what belongs to him.”

  “Mary, I can promise you that my son is just as strong-willed as his father was. He and his brothers have done very well for themselves, and I can also promise you that he wouldn�
�t accept anything monetary from you at all.”

  “You simply can’t believe that he couldn’t use the money that I can give him?” Mary said, incredulous.

  Saundra smiled at her mother-in-law. “You don’t know my son—just like you didn’t know your own.”

  The kitchen door opened. Sean and Patrick came in from their morning run, both a little startled to see the woman sitting in the kitchen with their mother. Patrick and Sean walked over to Saundra and quickly kissed her cheek.

  “Good morning, Ma,” they said in unison, their eyes going back to the older woman at the table.

  Saundra introduced the twins and saw the name click with them. Then the mask that they wore when they met someone that they didn’t care for—which was anyone who had wronged a member of their family—overcame their faces.

  “What can we do for you, Mrs. Remington?” Sean asked and took a seat next to his mother. Patrick occupied the other chair.

  Mary looked taken aback. “I had no idea that you remarried after Nicholas’ death.”

  “I didn’t.”

  Mary waited for Saundra to say more to explain the two young men claiming to be her children.

  Saundra could almost see all of the negative thoughts running through Mary’s mind. “For your information, their mother died, so I adopted them.”

  “They let you adopt them and you were a single mother?”

  Saundra didn’t feel like telling this woman her entire life story, so she nipped the questions in the bud. “Before their mother died, she asked if I’d take care of them. Well, there was an officer there, and he promised that he would make sure that I was able to adopt them.”

  Sean asked his question again.

  “I’m just trying to get to know my grandson,” Mary said.

  “What we’ll do is talk with our brother to find out if he would like to talk to you. Unfortunately, it will have to wait.”

  “Why is that?” Mary asked.

  “This week’s going to be very busy for him, considering he’s getting married Saturday.”