Sure, she had set her sights on marrying a billionaire, but even that showed a twisted sense of purpose. She knew what she wanted and she was going to make it happen. After hearing her story, he could even sympathize with her to some degree. Her life had not been easy and she saw the whole ‘billionaire’ thing as security. From the little she had told him, he imagined she had gone without for most of her life. He had a grudging admiration for her for being so focused on her goal. It didn’t mean he was going to let himself get caught up in her scheme though. He wanted a woman who would love him for himself and not just because he had a fat wallet. If he told her the truth, he would never know if she wanted him for him or for the payday. And that was why he should be staying far, far away from her. The problem was, he just couldn’t do it. He was drawn to her like a moth to a flame and he expected similarly devastating results from such a union. He was going to get burned and even with th
She moaned and he held back an answering groan. Having her so close, the feel of her body pressed against his, the scent of her hair surrounding them, and then that little noise combined to have a completely predictable effect on him. He felt his cock perk up with interest and he immediately started thinking of complex mathematical problems—yeah, that wasn’t going to work, he wasn’t that smart. He huffed out a sigh and then tried to disentangle himself from her. “Emma,” he said, a little louder this time. “Wake up honey.” That finally seemed to penetrate her sleepy brain and her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at him and the most beautiful smile broke out over her face. He froze, stunned by it. Emma was a gorgeous woman but he had never seen her so…unguarded. He didn’t think. He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her. She responded immediately, her mouth opening under his as her arms untangled from his and wound around his neck, drawing him closer. Jonathon lost himself in the t
It was beautiful. Everything, everywhere was beautiful, like a postcard. Emma still couldn’t believe she was here. Even as she sat opposite Jake in a little restaurant that overlooked an enormous lake, with a glass of wine in her hand and a plate of the most delicious pasta she had ever tried in front of her, it still didn’t seem real. Or that could be the kiss he had laid on her on the plane. She still hadn’t recovered from that. She was pretty sure it had melted a few brain cells as well as drenching her panties. The whole thing—the flight, the the restaurant—it all felt like a dream. She could barely even accept that she was in a different fucking country, halfway around the world from where she had lived for her entire life. It was a dream, but it was a dream from which she didn’t want to wake. “How’s your pasta?” Jake asked as he set his own knife and fork together on his plate and lifted his wine glass. “Eh,” she said with a shrug, “you know, average.” She grinned and he laug
She closed her eyes and couldn’t help the little moan that escaped. It was delicious and flooded her mouth with all sorts of goodness. She felt a touch to the corner of her lip and opened her eyes to see Jake leaning across the table, his thumb sliding across her bottom lip. He withdrew his thumb and lifted it to his own mouth, sucking the chocolate from his digit. Emma clenched her thighs together and licked her lips. Resisting him was going to kill her. Like, literally kill her, she was sure of it. It was only self-preservation to give in to him. It would end badly, like Greek tragedy bad, but until then it would be spectacular. She cut into the torte again and this time lifted it to his lips. He leaned forward, his eyes not leaving hers, and slid the piece of cake off the spoon and into his mouth. She bit her lip that time and her heart felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest. “Finish your dessert,” he said, his voice husky. “We have things to discuss.”Was he really
Hearing his real name on her lips right now would have caused him to lose his footing and plunge into depths he had no idea how to navigate. The car slowed and he pulled away slightly, waiting for the driver to open the door. He got out and took her hand, helping her out of the car and guiding her up the stairs to the front door, promptly opened by Jonas. He nodded to the man as they passed and headed for the stairs. They didn’t speak until they were in his room and the door was closed. “Are you sure, Emma?” he asked, needing to hear her consent before going any further. “I’m sure,” she said, stepping closer to him so that their bodies touched. “I want this. For however long we are here, I want to explore this. When we go home, things have to go back to the way they were. You know that, right?” “Yes,” he replied. “But while we’re here, you’re mine?” The corner of her mouth turned up in a smirk. “While we’re here, we’re each other’s and either one of us can put a stop to it at any
He grabbed her wrist before she could touch him. “With great difficulty,” he ground out between clenched teeth. He pulled her toward him and slammed his mouth down on hers. She took the opportunity to rub herself against him, thankful that she was still wearing her heels. Their bodies lined up nicely and that delicious bulge settled perfectly right between her thighs. “Fu-uck,” Jake breathed against her neck as he trailed kisses along the sensitive skin. “You feel so fucking good.” “Same,” she breathed as she rocked her hips into his. His arms tightened around her and he lifted her, turning them so he could lay her on the bed. He crawled over her, resting his pelvis against hers and thrusting gently. She looked up at him, relishing the lust in his eyes that had turned them dark, darker than she had ever seen. She liked the way he clenched his jaw and the intensity of his gaze. She was his singular focus and it was heady stuff. She didn’t think she had ever been someone’s singular f
Finally, he rolled her hard clit between his lips and suckled. He was good, a fucking master cunnilinguist. Was that even a word? Fuck. Her brain wouldn’t even work as he continued to orally fuck her into oblivion. Her orgasm was swift. How could it not be? The anticipation of this moment, the weeks of sexual tension building between them, and his fucking talented tongue. It all combined to bring her to a fast, screaming, satisfying orgasm that had her seeing stars. He chuckled against her thigh before pressing a kiss on the soft skin. She realized that she had hold of his hair in two gripped fists and she relaxed her fingers. He looked up at her, a devilish smile on his face, his lips wet with her. The self-satisfied look on his face made her grin. “Come here,” she said, and he crawled up her body and settled himself between her legs. “Kiss me,” she whispered, and he lowered his head. She tasted herself on his tongue and groaned. She wanted more. She wanted him. Her hands pushed a
Weren’t enough for her!” Jonathon startled awake, his heart beating rapidly and his breath coming in short, sharp bursts. He took a moment to remember where he was. Merveille. In the chalet. With Emma. Her warm body snuggled closer to him, burrowing into his chest and his arms tightened reflexively around her. He exhaled slowly and closed his eyes. It had been a long time since he had dreamed about his father. It had been a long time since he’d let himself even think about that night. The memories themselves were a nightmare. His father, was sick and dying in a hospital bed. Tubes breathing for him. Tubes feeding him. Monitors hooked up to him to make sure his heart still beat. The cancer had ravaged his body and they knew he didn’t have much longer to live. He was eighteen years old and he had desperately wanted his father to survive, but he knew the wish was hopeless. Despite his grief, he also knew it was the last time he would get any straight answers from his father about h
Six Months Later…Everyone he loved was in the room. They were celebrating. Barry and Becky had finally set a date. Lisa and Mason wouldn’t be far behind. Brian and Cassie kept sneaking glances at one another that they thought nobody else noticed. He thought he knew what was going on but he didn’t want to ruin the surprise. It was their news to share and he was happy to wait for them to be ready to share it. Liam and Loretta were here too. He’d been slowly getting to know them. There was a lot of hurt to work through, but they were getting there. Jonathon quite enjoyed having a younger brother even if it was only in small doses at the moment. Devi and Kirra were also there. Kirra was graduating in a couple of weeks and then she would be hopefully attending one of the universities close to home. She wouldn’t know if she got accepted until the new year, but Jonathan was quietly confident that she would get into her top pick. And then there was Emma. Every day with her was
“I know it’s too soon,” he said, cupping her cheek. “But I want you to know that I am in this for good. I want to spend my life with you Emma. I want us to be a family. You, me, Kirra, Devi, Liam, and Loretta—” “Loretta?” “My mum. I want one big, messy family with you and me at the heart of it. Tell me you want that too.” She pressed against him and brushed a kiss on his lips. “I do,” she said before putting the remaining half of the chocolate in her mouth and grinning. The wheel came to a stop and he drew Emma to her feet, moving them both over to the window. The entire city of Melbourne was spread out below them, but it dimmed in comparison to the woman in his arms. “I love you, Emma,” he whispered before kissing her while they stood on top of the world.He took her home. He couldn’t not. They had stuff to work out and a relationship to manage. He had a family to get to know and she had her mother’s illness to navigate and her sister’s final year of sch
He stepped into the pod and waited for the door to close before holding the final box out to her, his mouth dry. She reached for it but he snatched it away, lifting it beyond her reach. “Before I give this to you, I need to explain.” She looked from the box to his face and nodded. “Okay.” The wheel started to move and Jonathon moved them over to sit on a bench. He exhaled roughly. “Okay, so I don’t know how much of this you already know, but how about I just start at the beginning?” She nodded again. “My mother left when I was two. I always believed she left us for a man with money. I’ve recently found out that wasn’t true.” He took a deep breath and her hand rested gently on his chest as she moved closer to him. He took strength from her closeness. “Someone was impersonating me—” “Liam?” He nodded. “Right. Liam. It turns out Liam is my brother. He was trying to draw me out and get me to notice him. He ultimately wanted to meet his father. He didn’t
“Are you looking for this?” the security guy asked, holding out an old-fashioned paper ticket. Emma laughed as she snatched it from him, waving it over her shoulder as she jogged toward the front doors of the building. She slid into the car and Brian looked at her expectantly. “Um…” Emma looked between Brian and Cassie. “I want to say Luna Park, but I don’t think that’s right.” “Why Luna Park?” Cassie asked. Emma held up the ticket in her hand. “We went to a fête in Merveille and rode the Ferris wheel.” “The Melbourne Star,” Brian said, his voice gruff. “Of course!” Cassie cried excitedly, leaning over to give Brian a smacking kiss. “You’re brilliant.” Emma could barely keep still as Brian drove them across town toward the Docklands and the giant observation wheel. As much as she was enjoying herself, she wanted to see him. She had already forgiven him for his lie and now she desperately wanted to ask his forgiveness for her stupid, fearful, erratic
She walked around the corner expecting to see Jonathon outside the patisserie, but there was no one there. She stepped inside breathed in the sweet scent of pastries and chocolate and looked around, hoping to spot him, but he wasn’t there. “Are you Emma?” a lady asked. “Yeah,” Emma said, turning to the woman who sat at a small table with a familiar little box in front of her. “This is for you,” the woman said, standing and walking away. Emma sat and took the box, pulling at the bow and opening it to see another chocolate truffle, this time it had an ’S’ written on top of it in dark chocolate. She didn’t need the little ‘Eat Me’ note to know what to do. She put the truffle on her tongue and closed her eyes. The chocolate coating melted away to leave behind a cake center with the sweet tang of apricot jam. “Sachertorte,” she mumbled to herself as she sighed and opened her eyes. Emma picked up the note that had nestled beside the truffle in the box.The first time we made lov
Dear Emma,The first time we met I wanted to kiss you. I knew I couldn’t. I knew it was stepping across a line both personally and professionally, but still, I couldn’t deny the attraction I felt.Our relationship has had an unconventional start, a bit of a rocky middle, and an absolutely appalling ending, but there were some real high points along the way. Let me remind you of how good it was between us and how good it could be again.Do you remember our first kiss? I don’t think I will ever forget it. I thought I knew what I was getting myself in for when I leaned down to brush my lips across yours, but I was a fool. You were so much more than I ever thought I would ever experience. You took my breath away and I lost a little bit of my heart to you at that moment.If it meant as much to you as it did to me, meet me there at the place where we first kissed.Jonathon.Emma could feel the wetness on her cheeks and she sniffed as she wiped at the tears. “Well?” Cassie asked, rocking o
It was the first Saturday morning Emma could ever remember that had the three of them sitting around the kitchen table eating pancakes and laughing. What would have been a simple, family Saturday morning ritual for some was something out of a fairy tale for Emma. She knew they were a long way from being a happy family, there was still a lot of hurt to navigate and broken trust to overcome, but it was a start and for once in her life, she was willing to just go with it. On this day, Devi was back to the woman she vaguely remembered from before Tom died and Emma wanted to soak it up and memorize it. From pancakes, they’d gone to gardening. Emma shared her plans with Devi and Kirra. She would let the lease go on her flat and move back in here permanently. It meant she would be on hand if Devi needed her and hopefully give some stability for Kirra’s final year of school. After she graduated and went off to uni, Emma could look at what would happen next. They all agreed that if they were
Emma wanted to believe her, but it was tempting to turn away and close her heart off so she couldn’t be hurt again. Except it would hurt anyway. If there was one thing she learned through this whole saga with Jonathon it was that closing your heart off to others was a mistake. You ended up hurting everyone that way, not least of all yourself. She put her arm around Devi and hugged her. “Good for you mum,” she said.Jonathon worked all night and most of the day. He tried calling Emma but when she didn’t pick up or reply to his texts after the first twenty or so, he gave up. What he had to say needed to be said in person anyway. Inspired by the woman he had fallen irrevocably in love with, he had spent the night holed up in his test kitchen creating the perfect set of truffles. Anybody could buy a box of chocolates or a bunch of flowers but only he could create an entire set of truffles that spelled out just how much he loved her and how much she had impacted his life. He had words
Kirra said when Emma finally made it home. Emma had been wandering around the city trying to come to terms with what all this meant for her life going forward. She had made some hard decisions, but she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. It hadn’t helped with the pain in her chest where her heart was currently crumbling away to dust, but at least she knew that she wasn’t going to end up like her mother just because she had fallen in love. Life was always going to throw her curve balls and she just learned something about herself. Despite her previous belief, she was actually strong enough to withstand them, even swing the bat at them, and make the best out of a bad situation. “Hey, yourself,” she said, sitting at the table opposite Kirra. “Where’s Zoë?” “She had to go and run some errands.” “Where’s mum?” Kirra bit her lip and her eyes teared up. “I don’t know.” “She’s not here?” Emma asked, sitting up straighter and leaning forward. “When I got home, Z