Authors: N.J. Walters
MadLoving (9 page)
Allison shook her head. “Not so dangerous. I’m on birth
control.”
“I’m clean,” he promised her. “I’ve always been careful.”
“Me too.”
Nevar’s smile was sexy and filled with sexual promise. He
slowly released her, letting her slide down his body until her feet touched the
floor. Then he adjusted the taps in the shower until he was satisfied with the
water temperature. “We still need a shower.”
Allison laughed as he guided her beneath the spray. The
shower was short, but fun. They took turns soaping one another, laughing and
teasing. She’d never laughed in the shower with a man before. Nevar was
continuing to be a series of firsts and she hoped that never ended.
Once they were toweled off, he scooped her into his arms and
carried her to his large bed. When they were settled with her snuggled tight in
his arms, he released a deep sigh.
“I’m so glad you came to my club.”
Allison rested her hand over his heart, feeling the steady
thump. She felt more content, more at home than she had in her entire lifetime.
“Me too.”
Six months later…
Allison hurried out of Nevar’s apartment and almost ran
straight into Rabb, who was locking up his place. He offered her a quick smile.
“You’re late.”
She shook her head. “Not really.” When he glanced at his
watch, she frowned. “Okay, but only a minute or so. Your mother called at the
last second to say she wanted the large silver platter from Nevar’s kitchen.
Since I had to stop and change anyway I told her I’d bring it downstairs.”
She’d come straight from the office, but had been running late. Thankfully,
she’d brought a change of clothes to work. She’d raced to Nevar’s place,
grabbed a quick shower and changed in record time.
Rabb studied her and she touched her hair wondering if she
looked okay. She wanted to look good. Over the past months, she’d shared many
meals with Nevar’s family and each one was an event. These people certainly
knew how to make a simple dinner seem special. Irene always used china and
silverware—she seemed to own several sets of both—there was always fresh
flowers and music and, most especially, there was always a wonderful treat for
dessert.
She loved his family as much as she did her own.
“You look great.” Rabb stood back and motioned for her to go
ahead of him.
“Thanks.” She’d bought the form-fitting green dress on a
whim last weekend. The neckline was high and conservative, the sleeves long,
but the back plunged all the way to her butt, leaving her back all but bare.
Nevar hadn’t seen it yet.
When she reached the door of Nevar’s parents she knocked
once and then entered. Irene bustled out from the kitchen wearing a red dress
with green and blue swirls running through it. The woman did love color.
“Allison. Come in, come in.”
Rabb reached out and deftly removed the tray from her hands
before Allison found herself enveloped in a big floral hug. Irene’s perfume
this month was a light floral blend. The older woman had confided to her that
she liked to change her fragrance every month just to keep things interesting.
She adored Nevar’s mother.
“There she is.” Frank Hatter strode toward her with his arms
wide open. If Nevar took after his mother in coloring, then Rabb took after his
father. Frank was tall and wide, his hair a thick brown.
“Hi, Frank.” She pulled away from Irene and hugged Nevar’s
father.
“Hey, let me get a hug.” Nevar tugged her out of his
father’s arms and into his. She closed her eyes and simply allowed a sense of
well-being and belonging to fill her. His hand touched her bare back and he
pulled away. “Let me see.” He made a twirling motion with his hand and she dutifully
turned in a circle, showing off her new dress.
“Wow.” Nevar’s eyes darkened and she could see the barely
repressed passion and she silently thanked Barb for encouraging her to buy the
dress.
“I love it.” Irene fingered the fabric while Frank gave a
low whistle of appreciation. Rabb winked at her. Allison felt her face flush
with all the attention on her.
“Well, come on. Dinner is on the table.” Irene led the way
into the dining room. “Rabb, put that tray in the kitchen for me, will you?”
Rabb detoured into the kitchen and then joined them all around the table.
The table was set with floral-patterned china and red
napkins. Steam rose from several large dishes that sat in the middle of the
table. The yummy smell of tomato, basil and cheese filled the air. They were
having Irene’s famous lasagna. Allison’s stomach rumbled.
Beside her, Nevar laughed and went to work filling her
plate. “Did you miss lunch again?”
“Yes. I went shopping with Barb.”
“Buy anything interesting?”
“That’s for me to know and you to find out,” she answered
tartly. No need to tell him she’d bought the most wonderful, slinky
cream-colored nightgown. She planned on wearing it Christmas Eve as an early
present for both of them.
Christmas was only a few days away and she was spending the
entire holiday with Nevar, opting not to go home this year. She was looking
forward to it. They planned to get a small tree tomorrow and decorate it.
Everyone ate and chatted and laughed. Allison relaxed
totally and watched them all interact, loving being a part of their family. A
little voice in the back of her head told her she wasn’t a member of the
family, not really. She ignored it. Things were wonderful between her and
Nevar, no way was she letting any doubts sour their relationship.
“Another holiday party downstairs tonight?” Allison was
surprised by how many corporate groups hired Hatter’s to hold private parties
this time of year.
“Yup.” Rabb shoveled in another mouthful of lasagna and
chewed before continuing. “Tomorrow night too. But you’re more than welcome to
join us. Class up the joint a little.”
Allison laughed. She knew all the staff by name and they
were used to her coming and going through the family door. She had her own key.
“Dessert,” Irene announced. She went to stand, but Nevar stopped
her.
“I’ll get it.” He pushed away and strode into the kitchen,
returning a moment later with a small plate covered with a silver dome. She
wondered what could be under it. It seemed much too small to feed all of them.
It was probably individual desserts. Irene did that sometimes.
Nevar paused right next to her. Rabb removed her empty
dinner plate and Nevar set the small one in front of her. Everyone was watching
her. Okay, she wasn’t quite sure what they were waiting for, but she wasn’t
overly concerned. She’d become used to the idiosyncrasies of the Hatter family
months ago. In fact, she embraced them and how the family enjoyed life to the
fullest.
“Open it,” Nevar prompted.
Allison lifted the silver dome and sitting in the middle of
the china tea plate was a gold band set with a sparkling diamond. She gasped
and tears filled her eyes. She turned to Nevar and he went down on one knee
with a flourish. He picked up the ring and held it out to her.
“The past six months have been the best of my life and I
never want them to end. Will you marry me? Will you have me and my crazy
family?”
“Hey,” Rabb protested. “We’re not that bad.”
“Yes.” She could barely get the word out her heart was
beating so fast. “Yes.”
Nevar slipped the ring onto her finger and she threw herself
into his arms. His strong arms closed around her. She could hear his mother and
father cheering.
“I was going to wait until Christmas, but I couldn’t,” he
whispered so none of the others could hear. He kissed her then and it was
filled with passion and, more than that, it was filled with love.
“I love you,” she told him.
“I love you too.”
“Let’s celebrate.” His mother broke the intimate moment. “I
have cake.”
They all laughed and ate cake.
* * * * *
Hours later, Nevar stood at one end of the bar filling
orders. Allison sat near him, sipping on a ginger ale. His heart swelled every
time he looked at her. And that wasn’t the only part of his anatomy that
swelled. His cock was semi-hard every time he thought about that sexy backless
dress she was wearing. He couldn’t wait to peel it off her later tonight.
He wanted to make love to her with her wearing his ring and
maybe those sexy heels she was wearing. Oh, yeah.
“Pay attention, big brother.” Rabb elbowed him as he walked
by.
“Oh, I’m paying plenty of attention all right.”
Rabb snorted and went back to work mixing drinks and filling
orders. Hatter’s was hopping tonight. Some of the corporate crowd was a lot
rowdier than the normal patrons were. But they had several extra waiters who
also doubled as bouncers working tonight and didn’t anticipate any problems.
Nevar handed off the drinks to the waitress who was waiting
patiently for them. Once that was done, he leaned over the bar, caught
Allison’s hand in his and pulled her close so he could kiss her.
She laughed and kissed him back.
“Only a few more hours,” he assured her.
“I don’t mine waiting.”
“I do,” he growled and she laughed again. Damn, she was
pretty with her blue eyes sparkling and her cheeks flushed. He’d caught her
several times tonight studying her hand, or more specifically the ring he’d put
on her finger. He was one lucky, happy man.
And speaking of lucky. He hoped to get lucky sooner rather
than later. Maybe he could manage a ten-minute break in his office a little
later. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea.
Allison’s smile curved into a frown and he turned to see
what she was looking at. His brother stood still as a statue, his eyes locked
on a woman who’d just entered the club. Nevar wondered who she was and why Rabb
was staring at her so intently.
The moment was broken when one of his bartenders sidled up
next to him. “Congratulations, Boss.” All the staff knew about his engagement
to Allison and all of them were happy for him.
“Thanks, Dan.”
“Listen, if you want to take a short break at any time, we
can cover for you.”
Nevar laughed and slapped the other man on the back. “You
were reading my mind. I think I may need a little break.”
“No problem.” Dan smiled and started dealing with customers.
Nevar wasted no time grabbing Allison’s hand and dragging
her toward the office. “Where are we going?”
“I need to check on something.”
Her laughter made him smile, but he didn’t pause, getting
her in the office in record time. He shut the door, muting the voices, music
and laughter from the bar area. He pushed her against the door and ran his
finger across her delicate jawline. “I have ten minutes and I want to make the
most of them.”
“Only ten?” She raised her eyebrow. “That’s not very long.”
“Oh, it’s more than enough time,” he reassured her. “Just to
take the edge off until I can get you naked upstairs later.” She shivered and
he knew she wanted him just as much as he wanted her.
“Ten minutes,” he promised. And then he set out to prove
exactly how much he could accomplish in such a short time.
Once upon a time N.J. had the idea that she would like to
quit her job at the bookstore, sell everything she owned, leave her hometown,
and write romance novels in a place where no one knew her. And she did. Two
years later, she went back to the bookstore and her hometown and settled in for
another seven years.
One day she gave notice at her job on a Friday morning. On
Sunday afternoon, she received a tentative acceptance for her first erotic
romance novel, Annabelle Lee, and life would never be the same.
N.J. has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends
her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons,
time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering
good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to
live it.
N.J. welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
website and email addresses on her
author
bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.
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N.J.
Walters
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Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Mad Loving
ISBN 9781419991677
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Mad Loving Copyright © 2014 N.J. Walters
Edited by Shannon Combs
Cover design by Kelly Martin
Cover photography by Luba V Nel, Viorel Sima, Morphart Creation,
Oleg Golovnev, lian_2011, Larissa Kulik, Nejron Photo
Electronic book publication April 2014
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