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The Blueprints
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Asking for a Friend Ransom
MARISSAObviously, that approach didn’t work. The plan I was hatching now was more devious, but its chances of success were relatively high.The one thing I knew about him for sure was that the man was the ultimate perfectionist about his work. If he started with these blueprints, which a quick peek confirmed he had, he wouldn’t start over.What he was busy with would eventually become the perfect work for his client. Starting over wasn’t an option, because it was just right the way it was. Or it wouldn’t have been at all.And that was where Plan B came in. Walking to his desk with as much confidence as I could muster, so I looked like I was exactly where I was supposed to be just in case someone came in to ask what I was doing in here, I carefully rolled up the blueprints and tucked them under my arm.I carried them to my office, hid them safely away from potentially prying eyes and grabbed one of my sticky notes. After scribbling a quick message, I went back to his office and stuck
Asking for a Friend Scout's Honor
LAYTONAlem Seafood was an interesting choice for someone who supposedly wanted to talk. It was well-known enough, with reasonably priced, good food. Plastic table cloths covered white plastic tables yellowing with age.The multicolored tablecloths got replaced often enough and were practical given the amount of butter, garlic and other drips that came off the food. They were either green or red and white checkered, giving the place a real old-timey feel.It was almost always packed with locals, which made it an odd choice to pick for any kind of serious talking to take place. Alem was loud and lively, almost always having a live band playing into the night.If it was an intimate discussion you were after, you weren’t going to have it easily at Alem. But perhaps that was the point. Marissa was bubbly and boisterous and fun, just like the restaurant she chose.I wondered if she was more comfortable at this neighborhood favorite because it was more suited to her personality than the pla
Asking for a Friend About Annie
LAYTONAt the same time I made my suggestion that we order dinner, she said, “I’m sorry for the way I acted.”“I’m guessing that’s a no to ordering immediately, then?”She nodded, finally lifting her eyes to mine. There was genuine regret in them. “I should have told you that I have a daughter, and I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. It was rash and stupid. I was a mess and feeling so guilty for missing a bunch of calls about Annie being sick and I took it out on you. Unfairly, I might add.”“Thank you.” I wasn’t above acknowledging how hard it must have been for her to not only admit she’d been unfair, but to have come to the realization in the first place.Over the last few days, I thought some about what Craig had said about his own mother’s protectiveness. I was by no means ready to forgive or to forget, but I had to get through dinner to get my blueprints anyway, and I was curious.“You having a daughter isn’t a problem, Marissa. I—”“I know,” she nodded hard, her golden curl
Asking for a Friend In His Arms Again
MARISSAElectricity sparked in the air between us as Layton and I stepped onto the elevator. My heart was pounding, my entire body on high alert for his nearness. We turned to face the doors when they closed, our hands brushing each other in the process.A tingle went through at the brief touch of his skin against mine. I looked up at him, curious to know if he’d felt it too. For whatever else had happened between us, we’d never lacked chemistry.Layton had warmed up to me again throughout dinner and given where we started, I was surprised the evening was ending with both of us at his place and not at odds anymore. I wanted to know if Layton still felt the chemistry too, or if it was just me catapulted back to a couple of weeks ago.He looked down at me in the same moment, and when our eyes met, I knew I wasn’t alone in this. The next thing I knew, his lips were on mine and his arms were around me, caging me against the back of the elevator car.His lips were as hungry and insistent a
Asking for a Friend Stay the Night
MARISSASnuggling into Layton’s side, my head rested on his chest. His heartbeat thrummed against my ear and I lifted my hand to rest it beside my head. I inhaled deeply, savoring the moment while I was still in it. When we got out of this bed, I didn’t know what would happen.Lying in his arms felt so right. Being with him in any way felt so right. Before this moment, I told myself I wanted to apologize to him because it was the right thing to do. I had been wrong and he deserved to know it and to know I was sorry about it.All this time, I’d been telling myself I didn’t want to get involved with him again, that I didn’t want to go back to how things used to be between us. But being here with him now, I knew I’d been fooling myself.I did want Layton, very much so. And not just in my bed, but in my life. It had taken me too long to realize he wasn’t at fault for what happened with Annie. Denise finally made me realize that I wasn’t really to blame either.At least four other kids in
Asking for a Friend Hankering
LAYTONFeeling lighter and happier than I had in weeks, I pushed through the doors of a new coffee shop down the block from my office. The place smelled bitter and sweet, coffee and pastries everywhere. Taking a deep breath of what promised to be worth the wait in the line I was about to join, I made my way to the back of the snake of people curling around the few tables in the shop.Everyone around me was raving about their picks, and despite the time this was going to take, I was glad I decided to make the stop. Marissa would be glad too.Just the thought of her made a grin spread across my lips. For the past four days since we’d made up, we’d been spending whatever time we could spare together. It wasn’t much, since Marissa headed straight home to Annie every day after work, but we’d carved out a little time to spend together each day so far.When we hooked up before, I wasn’t sure where I stood with Marissa and I hadn’t thought too much about it. I only knew that I liked her and w
Asking for a Friend Too Soon
LAYTONWhen I got back to the office, I found Marissa in hers. She stood up when I entered, a radiant smile on her lips. “You’re late today. You’re never late.”I held up the coffee and the pastries. “I brought you something.”“Yeah?” She rounded her desk and took the box first, opening it. Letting out an excited sound, she set it down on her desk and threw her arms around me from the side so as not to knock over the coffees. “Oh, Layton! Thank you. I’ve been meaning to try these, but the line is always so long.”“It’s a wait, all right. I hope they’re worth it,” I told her, putting the coffee down next to the box so I could hold her properly. “You’re definitely worth it.”Pink tinged her cheeks as she slid her eyes to her open office door. The blinds of her windows were already down, presumably she simply hadn’t opened them yet—because they were usually open. Reaching behind me, I felt for the door and swung it closed. “We’re alone now.”“Thank God,” she breathed just before I lowere
Asking for a Friend Let Annie Decide
MARISSAEarly the morning after Layton told me he wanted to meet Annie, I was still stressed about the answer—I hadn’t decided yet. He was right about one thing. If there was a future for us and we really wanted to see where things between us went, he would have to meet Annie at some point.Chewing on my lip, I wondered if it was too soon for her to meet him. A part of me thought it was, but another part of me wanted the meeting to take place.Annie was always going to be a part of my life. Layton might not be, but if he was serious about wanting to be part of my life for now, then I needed to know if he got along with Annie. I wouldn’t be able to make any decisions about him, and about what I wanted for us until I knew how that would go.A relationship where those two didn’t get along wasn’t a relationship I would be able to be in. Surely it was better to find out sooner rather than later. I already felt like I was in a bit too deep with Layton, without knowing whether he would even
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Asking for a Friend Epilogue Part 2
LAYTONIt was still early, the sun wasn’t even fully risen yet. Annie and I had both snuck out of bed early this morning to make this breakfast. Marissa was fast asleep, lying on her side on the bed.Annie set down the tray and the glass and shook Marissa’s shoulders. “Mommy! Wake up Mommy! We have a surprise for you.”Marissa’s eyes blinked open slowly, confusion clouding them until she rubbed it away as she sat up and took in the scene in front of her. “What’s all this?”“We’re celebrating,” I told her. “I spoke to Craig earlier. They’re on their way to the site for the final clean up. The building’s finally done.”Her lips curled into a sleepy smile. “I can’t believe that it’s over. It’s really all done?”“It’s really all done,” I confirmed, picking up the tray and placing her plate on it on her lap. “Eat up, we’ve got a lot of celebrating ahead of us today.”“Shouldn’t I be the one feeding you breakfast in bed for this?” She asked, frowning slightly. Lifting up the duvet, she patt
Asking for a Friend Epilogue Part 1
LAYTONIn the past two months since Annie’s first ballet recital, there had been three more. Which were four more recitals than I ever thought I would attend. Or actually enjoy.But I did enjoy them. I enjoyed them so much I was even starting to consider myself something of an expert in ballet. I knew was arabesque meant, what pas de deux was, and that attitude referred to a position in classical ballet, and not a little girl shaking her finger in your face.I watched Annie practicing every night, since I had now officially moved in with them. So officially that there was a tenant renting my place and everything. Marissa didn’t know it yet, but I had been looking at houses for us online for the last couple of weeks.Most of my furniture was now in storage since our house wasn’t big enough for all my furniture and all of Marissa’s. I didn’t love the thought of my stuff gathering dust in a storage unit and I wanted us to have a place that was truly ours, not mine or hers.I had to wait
Asking for a Friend Tiny Dancer
MARISSALayton also threw himself deeper into his commitment to our family. He started driving Annie to school sometimes or offering to pick her up. He took her fishing a few more times and taught her how to play catch.Our lives together was everything I was ever too afraid to hope for. Watching him watch her recital now, tears burned the backs of my eyes.His eyes still hadn’t left the stage for so much as second and I could see the pride he was feeling, I felt it too. He was so much better of a father to Annie than Brice ever could have been. And he stepped into that role gracefully and seriously.I wondered if he would bolt when he eventually realized she was starting to look at him as her dad, but he’d done the complete opposite. On the contrary, he freaking loved being her ‘dad.’The final notes of the recital ended, the girls all dipping into low bows as the hall exploded in applause. Parents leaped to their feet and Layton and I joined them.“She was fantastic,” he yelled into
Asking for a Friend Sixth Months of Heaven
MARISSALayton’s eyes were glued to Annie on stage. Watching him now, it was hard to remember a time when I doubted his love or his commitment to her. Or to me, for that matter.The past six months had been perfect. A fairy tale I never believed was in the cards for me. But somewhere, somehow, someone sent Layton to me and let me keep him.After I finally told him I loved him, there was no turning back. And neither of us wanted to. We came clean to Annie about our relationship that same week and she was thrilled.She hugged both of us and refused to let us go. That next week Layton stayed over for the first time that Annie knew of. She was so excited when she saw him arriving with an overnight bag that she zoomed and bounced around all night before finally crashing hard. When she fell asleep, it was on the couch between us.Layton had insisted on being the one to carry her to her bedroom and when he came back to the living room, he had this expression of absolute serenity on his face.
Asking for a Friend Living the Dream
LAYTON“I was just thinking about something that happened with Annie a few weeks ago,” I told him, shaking the memories out of my head. As the site came back into focus, I noticed how much progress there had been in the week since I was last here. “It’s looking good, Craig. You guys are really outdoing yourself on this one.”“We’re doing our best,” he said, shrugging. “I encouraged you to do this by yourself without that other asshole involved. Least I can do is to have your back now that you’re actually doing it.”“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.” I still couldn’t believe some days that this building really was all mine. I tried not to think about it too much, since there was still a lot that could go wrong. I didn’t want to tempt fate by thinking about how well it was going. “Has the flooring been delivered yet?”“Right on time,” Craig said. “They delivered on Friday morning as promised.”I breathed out a sigh of relief. The people who manufactured the flooring called two weeks ago to
Asking for a Friend We're a Family
LAYTONSix months after Marissa first told me she loved me, I walked onto the construction site where the museum was just about done. The scaffolding was coming off today and the team was moving inside. We had two months left to go, tops.The past six months had been the best months of my life. By a long shot. The museum was progressing without any major hold-ups, which was more of a relief than I cared to admit out loud.Marissa, Annie and I were doing better than ever. In the last few weeks, we’d started talking about moving in together, and I was sure it was going to happen soon.I knew it was going to be an adjustment to live together, especially for Annie and me, but it was what I wanted more than anything. I wanted to wake up next to Marissa every morning, to have breakfast with her and Annie before we headed to work.I wanted to be there to tuck Annie in at night and to spend lazy weekends with them. Only a year ago, if anyone had told me I would ever want that kind of life, I
Asking for a Friend Tasting Him
MARISSAStars exploded behind my eyelids. The intensity of the orgasm building inside me was astonishing. My body was going to be blown to dust when it hit, but I couldn’t freaking wait for that glorious release. I gripped the sheets harder, trying to anchor myself against the powerful sensations ripping through me.My hands flew to his hair next, tugging it as I held him to me. Knowing my body better than I did, he knew exactly what I needed. Bringing his lips to my clit, he sucked the little bud in between them and flicked it with his mouth.That perfect pressure sent my body skyrocketing. I stifled a cry, relieved somewhere in the back of my mind I had the pillow handy and crushed it over my face. Sensation crashed into me as I came, overwhelming me with a pleasure I would never get used to.Floating in a bubble of ecstatic bliss, my body went limp. When I opened my eyes, Layton was there wearing a satisfied smile.But it was too tight, too strained. His muscles were tense and his
Asking for a Friend Raw
MARISSALayton’s lips on mine were the best thing that I’d ever felt and I never wanted him to stop. I writhed against him, feeling him hard as steel against my center as he continued to kiss the crap out of me. He dipped his head lower and licked a path to my breasts, his hands on the hem of my shirt.There was something we had to do, somewhere we had to go. But I’d lost track of my train of thought. Warm hands came up to cup my breasts over my pajama top, his thumbs dragging over my puckered nipples. A shiver ran through me. I was so damn wet. I wanted him so bad.“Cold?” Layton asked huskily.I shook my head, closing my eyes for a second as I tried to find words. And figure out that gnawing feeling that we had to move. “No, just—”Layton gave me a sexy, knowing smile. “Me too. Let’s take this to your bedroom, shall we? We definitely shouldn’t let Annie find us like this.”Fuck.Annie.Of course, that was why we had to move. I nodded at Layton. “Let’s go.”His hands dropped to cup
Asking for a Friend Prove It To Her
LAYTONHolding the NDA out to her, she took it and her eyes dropped immediately to the signature line. Which was blank. “I didn’t sign it. I told him to tell Banks where he could shove his insane requests.”Marissa blinked, a huge smile spreading on her face. “Annie’s sleeping, but would you like to come inside?”I nodded, pulling her into my arms as the door closed behind me. Marissa lifted herself up on her toes and kissed me, her fingers winding into the hair around the nape of my neck. When we broke apart, she kept her hands where they were and spoke with her lips inches away from mine. “I love you, Layton. I love you so much.”My heart hammered louder and harder than it ever had before. It was trying to beat its way out of my chest to climb into hers. That was what it felt like, anyway. It already belonged to her, it might as well have done it.I blinked at her, taken aback by hearing the words I wasn’t sure I would ever hear from her. “Could you repeat that?”She smiled. “As man
