The Virgin’s Guide to Misbehaving (Bluebonnet #4)(70)
Author: Jessica Clare

He reached between them and placed his thumb over her clit, her movements making friction in her most sensitive of places.

Her cries became louder, and his mouth covered hers, swallowing her shrill cries of “Yes, yes!” as he pumped into her fiercely, claiming her for his own. As soon as he felt her begin to spasm around him with her own orgasm, and felt her grow even wetter than before, he came, groaning her name and his love for her into her ear.

Some time later, they snuggled in bed together, fingers lacing as they talked. Her head rested on his chest, and Rome could honestly say he’d never been so content in his life.

“You should have told me,” she murmured, tracing circles on his chest with her fingertip. “I showed you my scars. You should have showed me yours.”

He sighed, holding her close. “It’s just . . . hard for me to trust people.”

“No, really?” she teased. “Tell me what that’s like.”

He tickled her sides and she squirmed, laughing. “I’m serious. I guess you get screwed over so many times, you just start expecting everyone to think you’re garbage just because of who you are.” He shrugged. “People hear ‘ex-con’ and their minds shut down. It doesn’t matter who I am at that point, or even what I did. I’m a filthy animal who shouldn’t be out on the streets.”

She frowned. “So basically, people act like my brother.”

“I still can’t blame your brother,” he said, stroking her soft skin. “He thought he was doing the best thing for his young, beautiful, incredibly naive little sister. I’d have hid you from me, too.”

Elise made a face at him. “It doesn’t mean he gets to try and take over both of our lives, you know. There’s a difference between concerned and overbearing, and Grant needs to figure it out. He’s way too protective, even when I don’t need it. Part of it is his personal baggage, though. His ex-wife left him with a few issues.” She kissed his skin. “We all have issues. It doesn’t mean we get to use them as weapons.”

“I don’t care, as long as I have you and you want me.”

“I always want you,” Elise said, sliding a hand down his stomach to cup his now-at-rest cock. It stirred immediately at her touch, and she made a small noise of appreciation. “But don’t you worry about my brother. I’ll handle him.”

“Why does that make me uneasy?”

Her hand stroked over his rapidly lengthening cock, teasing it to attention. “Because you’ve never seen me on the warpath?”

“I don’t want to come between you and your brother, baby,” he told her. Actually, he didn’t even want to think about her brother while she had her hand on his cock. “Let’s just leave it alone, all right?”

“Nope. He was unfair to you and I’m going to make him see that,” she said, and there was a stubborn note in her voice that made him sigh in frustration.

“And what if he gets your parents involved and they all come down against me? I don’t want to get between you and your family.”

Her fingertips traced the head of his c**k in an absent motion that drove him absolutely wild. It took all of his control to not grab her hand, make a fist, and start f**king that tight warmth. “My parents?”

“Yeah. Aren’t they going to mind that their sweet, innocent daughter is dating an ex-con?” Rome had had run-ins with parents before, and it always ended badly.

“They’ll just be thrilled I’m dating someone. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve gone through a bit of a dry spell,” she teased. “Anyhow, my mother is currently drowning her sorrows about me moving away in a shopping binge, but my father’s ecstatic at my long-overdue independence. Most of all, they’ll be happy that I’m happy. They love Brenna, after all, and she takes a bit of getting used to.”

He rolled over in the bed, dragging her onto her back and pinning her underneath him. “You have an answer for everything, don’t you?”

“I do,” she said, her eyes shining as she looked up at him. “They’ll see how happy you make me and they won’t be able to help themselves. They’ll adore you, just like I do.”

He stilled. “Wait. Did you say you moved here permanently?”

She nodded up at him. “I bought a studio downtown. I’m going to do family photography and pinups.”

“I thought you wanted to do magazine photos?” She’d talked about it a few times when they’d discussed her future.

Elise gave him a wry smile. “I thought so, too, until I sat down and really thought about it. Then I realized I liked the dream more than the reality. Do you mind staying in Bluebonnet if I do?”

“I’ll follow wherever you go,” he vowed. “You just lead the way.”

“I love you.”

Rome leaned down and gently kissed her parted lips. “I love you, too. And . . . just to be clear. No baby?”

“No baby,” she agreed. “Does that make you happy or sad?”

“A little bit of both, really. I’m relieved, but at the same time . . . I kind of didn’t hate the idea.” He pressed a kiss on her bow-shaped upper lip. “You?”

“I don’t think I’m ready yet, but in a few years? I wouldn’t mind starting a family. I think I’d like to have one with you.”

He’d never given much thought to family, really. But little boys with her smile and little girls with that silky brown hair of hers? Ridiculous how pleasing the thought was. He’d never felt much for family in the past, but starting one with Elise?

Sounded pretty good to him.

• • •

The next morning, they showered together and, at Elise’s urging, went to the main lodge to confront her brother. Rome was nervous, strangely enough. Once upon a time, it wouldn’t have mattered what a guy like Grant thought of him. They’d rub along until things got too ugly, and Rome would leave.

Except . . . Rome was back. And Grant’s opinion mattered because he was Elise’s family. Even though Elise was full of positive words and affirmations that things would be fine, Rome wasn’t so sure. He didn’t see how someone like Grant could open up to someone like him and just be fine with the fact that his sister was dating Rome.

But Elise gave him another sweetly determined smile, and he found he couldn’t refuse her anything.

When they entered the main lodge, Brenna was seated on the corner of Grant’s desk, dressed in boxers and an old, ratty T-shirt. Grant was wearing what looked like an expensive sweater and leaning close to Brenna, and it was clear the two of them were whispering intently about something. They separated when he and Elise entered the lodge.