Love Profound

  “I’m going to come, darlin’.”

  I grabbed his arms and arched my back as we fell together.

  Wade’s fingers moved across my arm as we lay on his bed. After discarding the condom, Wade brought in a warm washcloth and cleaned me off. It was the sweetest thing a man had ever done for me after we’d been together. Then he crawled back into his bed and held me.

  “I’ve never experienced anything like what we just shared,” I said, breaking the silence.

  He placed a soft kiss on my shoulder. “I feel the same way. It felt like I couldn’t get deep enough. Close enough. I wanted to crawl into your body.”

  I smiled. “Do you think it will always feel like that?”

  He let out a chuckle, “Yes.”

  Rolling over to look at him, I lifted a brow. “Really? You think when we’re sixty years old and having hot sex in the rocking chair it will feel the same way? Because that was the best moment of my life.”

  He ran his finger along my jaw. “I think it will be even better because that’ll be years of us learning each other’s bodies, and all that practice makes perfect, right? I’ve fallen in love with you, Amelia Parker, and now my life’s mission is to make sure every time we make love it’s magical.”

  My lips pressed tightly together. I fought to keep my tears at bay, but lost. A single tear trailed down my cheek.

  “Happy tear?” Wade asked, wiping it away with his thumb.

  I nodded. “I’m going to have such great material for my books with you around.”

  His eyes widened in shock before we both laughed. Flipping me onto my back, Wade reached for another condom. “I guess it’s time to show you my wild side then, huh?”

  Giving him my sexiest smile, I replied, “Bring it, cowboy.”

  Laughter came from the kitchen as I walked in through the back door.

  “There she is!” my mother said.

  I scanned the room to find my mother, Paxton, Waylynn, Corina, and my best friend from high school, Jen.

  “Wow. Are we having a secret women’s meeting or something?” I asked, setting my workbag on the island.

  Waylynn and Paxton both stared like I had something on me. With an evil little smirk, Waylynn asked, “Where have you been, little sis?”

  With a half shrug, I replied, “Working. Watching April have her calf.”

  “Who?” Jen asked as I gave her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.

  “It’s a giraffe. What are you doing here?”

  She held up her hand. “I’m engaged!”

  My mouth fell open as I stared at the diamond on her finger. “Martin?” I finally managed to ask.

  “Yes! I’m getting married. I came over to ask if you would be in the wedding.”

  She pulled me into a hug, and I looked over to Paxton and Waylynn. Both were attempting not to laugh.

  I took a step back. “Wait, Jen, you just started, um, dating. You don't think this is too soon? To get married?”

  “No. We’ve been attracted to each other since high school. Even you said we’ve always flirted.”

  Taking Jen by the arm, I pulled her out of the kitchen and into the dining room.

  “Jen, listen. It’s probably not too soon, but you said yourself you were worried Martin might be having sex with other women. Are you not concerned about that anymore?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Why would you bring that up, Meli?”

  “Because! It’s a valuable thing to bring up. Do you not feel that way anymore?”

  Not looking at me, she stared at the ground. “No. I’m not worried about it anymore.”

  “Look me in the eyes and tell me you’re not the least bit worried Martin might cheat on you.”

  Her head shot up. “We can’t all have a Steed Parker or a Wade Adams.”

  It felt like she had slapped me across the face. I took a step back. “What the hell does that mean, and how did you know Wade and I were together?”

  Shaking her head, she turned to leave. “Never mind. Forget I even came here.”

  I forced her to stop. “Now hold on one second. You can’t be running your mouth off like that and then turn to leave. First off, Paxton and Steed had their own set of problems before things worked out. Plus, they’d dated for years. And as far as Wade goes, you don’t know anything about our relationship.”

  “You’re datin’ him. It’s all over town how the Parker princess captured the prince.”

  Snarling, I pinched my brows. “What in the fuck? Did you just make that shit up because I know no one has said that, and if they have I want names. I’m kicking some ass!”

  “Whatever. I’m so sick of watching everyone else get the guy. I want the guy for once! I knew that first day you came walking into the bar and Wade stopped talking to me just to stare at you that he had a thing for you. It’s never going to change for me. I’ll always be the girl who gets the okay guy. Well, Martin is more than okay. He’s hot, he has a big dick, he knows how to use it, and he loves me!”

  “I really hope for your sake my mother did not hear you say that.”

  Her face turned red. Closing her eyes, she slowly took in a breath and let it out. “Amelia, I’m happy. Can you not just be happy for me?”

  My heart dropped, and in that moment I totally got it. “If you’re sure this is the right thing to do, I’ll be there for you. Hell, I’ll even throw you the shower.”

  Jen’s eyes lit up. “Really? And you won’t mention Martin being unfaithful again?”

  Ugh.

  I bit the inside of my cheek. “I promise I won’t ever mention it again.”

  But it will happen. And you’ll be on my doorstep crying about it.

  Jen hugged me. “Thank you, Amelia! Thank you so much!”

  We laced our arms together and walked back into the kitchen. Jen wore a huge smile. “We were just talking about the wedding and all of that.”

  Everyone in the room gave her a polite smile, but I knew damn well they’d heard the whole showdown. Noises carry far in the country, and all.

  “Well, I best be going. I’ve got to ask a few other friends. Bye, y’all!”

  “Bye,” everyone called out as I walked her through the house and to her car.

  “Let’s plan a weddin’ meeting soon. We have lots to go over,” Jen said. She slipped into her car, rolled the window down, and called out, “See ya around, Meli!”

  I watched her drive off. A sick feeling settled in my chest because I knew she was headed for heartache. The front door closed behind me, and I heard the girls walking my way.

  “Does she have any idea she is marrying the biggest manwhore of them all, Meli?” Paxton asked.

  I nodded. “She knows.”

  “And she’s not worried?”

  I shrugged. “I guess she’s willing to ignore it. Maybe he’s changed.”

  Waylynn pushed open the screen door. “He hasn’t. Trust me. I can’t tell you how many times he tried to feel me up at my welcome home party.”

  I groaned. “Oh, God. What do I do? I promised her I’d never bring it up again, but I know he is going to end up hurting her.”

  Waylynn sighed before saying, “You don’t do anything. Jen is not stupid. She damn well knows what she’s getting into and if that’s the door she wants to walk through, you have to let her walk through it. Hopefully when she reaches the next one, she’ll know if she should go through it or not.”

  I exhaled loudly.

  “But honestly, who cares about Jen and Martin? I want to hear all about it!” Waylynn gushed, grabbing my hand to pull me to the porch swing.

  “What are you talking about?”

  Paxton and Waylynn glanced at each other and then back to me. “Aww, that’s cute, Meli, but you trying to pull off the whole innocent thing is not working,” Waylynn said. “Spill it. Was he big?”

  “Did you come the first time?” Paxton asked as Corina chuckled from behind her. My eyes shot up to Corina.

  “Why are you laughing?” I asked.
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  She attempted to remove her smile but couldn’t. “No reason.”

  “Don’t veer off the subject,” Waylynn said, grabbing my chin with her hand and making me look at her. “Was it good?

  How in the hell do they know Wade and I made love?

  “Was what good?” I asked.

  Giving me the stink eye, Waylynn leaned in closer. “Girl, don’t try to outwit the master. You had sex. I saw it on your face the second you walked through that door.”

  “So did I!” Paxton said, clapping.

  I let out a nervous chuckle. “Are you insane? You can’t tell if I’ve had sex by the expression on my face.”

  All three of them looked at me and then lost it laughing.

  “Seriously, Amelia? I don’t know you all that well, and even I could tell the second you walked in. Your face is glowing,” Corina said with a grin.

  “Glowing!” Paxton repeated.

  “And that smile!” Waylynn said, giving me a slight push. “Baby sister, I’ve never seen you smile like that. You just had sex. Hot, amazing sex.”

  A blush rose to my face.

  “You did! Ohmygawd!” Paxton squealed.

  I shook my head and stared at Paxton. “What in the hell is wrong with you, Paxton? You’re acting like a teenager!”

  Rubbing her stomach, she took a deep breath and sat down in a rocking chair. “I don’t know. It’s like this pregnancy is making me stupid or something. It’s weird.”

  Grinning, I reached for her hand. “You look beautiful. I hope Steed tells you that.”

  The way she smiled made my heart melt. “He does. At least three times a day. Every single morning when I wake up, and every evening when I’m standing there brushing my teeth. Your brother is amazing.”

  We all sighed. Well, all of us but Waylynn. She made a gagging sound. “Whatever. I want to know details. Come on, Meli. It’s been so long since I’ve had amazing sex. I think I forgot what sex even is.”

  “Same here,” Corina said. All of our heads snapped over to her.

  “Really?” Waylynn said, pulling Corina down in the rocker next to Paxton.

  “Oh, Lord. Waylynn, don’t scare her. She’s the best first grade teacher we have.” Paxton said.

  Shooting Paxton a smirk, Waylynn replied, “I’m only curious, that’s all.”

  She focused back on Corina. Even I leaned in, waiting to see what my sister would hit the poor girl with. “You and Tripp didn’t have sex often?”

  Corina let out a chuckle. “We never had sex.”

  “What?” Waylynn and I both said at once. Paxton nodded like she already knew this information. I was going to have a bone to pick with my sister-in-law after this.

  “Why not?” Waylynn asked.

  Corina looked between all of us. “It never felt…right.”

  “That’s cuz you had a taste of Mitchell.” The moment after Paxton said it, she slapped her hands over her mouth and closed her eyes.

  “Paxton!” Corina shouted.

  Waylynn rubbed her hands together. “Hell’s bells, this shit just got good.”

  I got up and went over to Corina. “Wait. You slept with Mitchell? Oh, my God! When?”

  She chewed on her lip. “Um, last fall. It was sort of a one-night stand.”

  Waylynn shook her head. “Corina, you had a fling with Mitchell and then dated Tripp? You whore!”

  Both Waylynn and I giggled as Paxton pointed at us.

  “Stop that, both of you. Corina, she doesn’t mean that. Tell them what happened.”

  Waylynn waved her hands, trying to stop giggling. “I was kidding. I’m sorry. Tell us what happened.”

  The poor girl wrung her hands. “Well, Paxton and I were at Cord’s Place and Mitchell asked me to dance. We spent the whole evening drinking and dancing, and I have to be honest, I’d never had so much fun.”

  Motioning with her hands for Corina to keep going, Waylynn said, “Okay, get to the part where y’all had sex!”

  Corina took a deep breath. “Mitchell asked to take me home so he knew I got there safe, and I invited him in for one more drink and before I knew it we were…we were…”

  All three of us leaned in closer. “You were what?” Paxton asked.

  “Oh, cheese and crackers, Paxton! You already know. He fucked me senseless. More than once.”

  Waylynn and I gasped.

  “How in the hell can you say cheese and crackers and then ‘he fucked me senseless’ and make it all sound so innocent?” I asked.

  Corina grinned and shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Okay, so if y’all had amazing sex, what happened?” I asked. “How did you end up with Tripp?”

  When she looked over at Paxton, I couldn’t help the way my chest tightened. Her eyes looked so sad. I peeked at Waylynn; from the expression on her face, I knew she saw it, too.

  Reaching for Corina’s hands, Waylynn said, “I’m going to kick Mitchell’s ass if he hurt you.”

  When I saw the tears forming, I asked, “What did he do?”

  She dropped her head and stared at the floor. “Nothing. He pretty much acted like it never happened. He never called. When Paxton said your brothers didn't do serious, I didn’t want to believe her. It didn’t take me long to figure out Tripp only asked me out because Mitchell was interested in me. I never told Tripp what happened, but he seemed to know already. I think he knew my heart wasn’t in the relationship. His wasn’t, either. We had a ton of fun hanging out together, and he’s a great friend.”

  “That’s why y’all broke up but still hung out?” I asked.

  “Yeah. I mean, I adore Tripp. He’s a great guy, and I was honest and told him how I felt about Mitchell.”

  “What did he say?” I asked.

  “He said he understood, and that we were better off as friends, which I agreed with. I honestly think that man is in love with another woman.”

  “Harley,” the three of us said.

  “Who?” Corina asked.

  I chuckled. “That is a story for girls’ night.”

  Waylynn stood, her hands on her hips. “Wait a minute! Somehow we lost track of our interrogation! Back to you and Wade having sex!”

  “What?” Two booming voices said in unison, making us jump.

  My heart froze. Trevor and Cord were standing on the front porch.

  “I’m gonna beat his ass,” Trevor said, spinning on his cowboy boots and marching to his truck, Cord two steps behind.

  “Oh, shit,” Waylynn, Paxton, and I whispered at once.

  “What are they going to do?” Corina asked.

  Waylynn shook her head. “It’s probably best we don’t know.”

  Cord placed the beer on the bar. “You sure you don’t want to sing?”

  I shook my head. “Nope.”

  He frowned. “Come on, Wade. You ain’t still sore about Trevor hitting you, are you? It was over a month ago.”

  Rubbing my jaw, I shot Trevor a dirty look, only to have him laugh his ass off. “My jaw hurts too much to sing.”

  Warm arms wrapped around my waist. “Hey there, handsome.”

  I spun on the stool and grinned at Amelia. Goddamn, if she wasn’t the prettiest thing ever. These last few months had been the happiest of my life. I’d never dreamed I could be this happy.

  “Hey.” She leaned toward me, rubbing her hand dangerously close to my cock as she placed a soft kiss on my lips. Moving over to my ear, she whispered, “I’m so in need of a good orgasm.”

  I couldn’t help the smile that spread over my face.

  “Son-of-a-bitch. If my baby sister is talking dirty to you, you best put a stop to that shit right now.”

  Ignoring Trevor, I pulled her between my legs. “What should we do about that?”

  Her teeth snagged the corner of her lip while her eyes grew dark. “We could sneak off. I’ve never had sex in my brother’s bar.”

  I threw my head back and laughed. “And darlin’, you’re never gonna. I kind of want to keep my dic
k attached to my body.”

  She pouted cutely.

  “Oh, hell no, Amelia Parker,” Cord said. “No giving him pouty lips. Fuck. No. I know that look. You take this shit somewhere else. That will never happen in my bar!”

  Amelia lifted her eyes to stare at Cord. Giving him a wink, she said, “How do you know it hasn’t already?”

  I jumped off the stool, getting between Amelia’s back and Cord. I held up my hands. “It has not! I swear to you.”

  Cord pointed to me. “Don’t forget, I know people! I will have Mitchell arrest your ass!”

  Giving him a thumbs up, I threw some money on the bar and took Amelia’s hand. “Come on, troublemaker. Do you want to see me with a black eye again?”

  “I’m still mad you let them hit you, Wade. I’m an adult and they don’t get to say who I can and cannot be with.”

  Making our way through the bar, I lifted my hand and waved goodbye to Mitchell. He was talking to a girl with dark hair. He waved, but I could tell he wanted to be anywhere other than where he was.

  Once we got to my truck, I turned to Amelia. “I thought Mitchell liked Corina?”

  Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. “He does?”

  “Doesn’t he?”

  “I don’t know! Does he?”

  I shook my head. “Whatever. Come on, I’ve got something to show you.”

  “Your naked body on top of mine?”

  Laughing, I took her hand. “You’re in a mood this evening.”

  She sighed. “I had to listen to Paxton and Waylynn talk about baby shower decorations. I fell asleep and had a crazy hot dream about us in the shower.”

  “I’ve got an idea,” I said, heading toward the land I’d bought a few months back.

  “Where are we going?” Amelia asked.

  With a wink, I replied, “You’ll see soon enough.”

  The second I pulled down the overgrown road, Amelia started laughing.

  “You naughty boy,” she purred. Her hand moved over my leg to cup my already-hard dick.

  I parked and undid my pants, shoving them down enough to get my cock out.

  “Glove box, condom,” I said as I fumbled trying to get her dress up.

  “Here,” Amelia panted as she pulled her panties off and tossed them in the backseat. “Let me put it on.”