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Reciprocity Chapter 1
Lila“Lila!” Nathan called from the closet, a frantic edge to his voice. “Have you seen my black silk tie? The one with the cream-colored stripes?”I looked around the room and smiled when my gaze hit the headboard. Oh, I’d seen it—and felt it the night before when he’d wrapped it around my wrists. He was an animal and fucked me until I came three times.I grabbed one end and slipped the tie from between the wooden slats, then pulled it around my neck. My body heated from the simple feel of the silk and all the reminders of what this tie meant last night. I smiled and looped one end over the other, tying it as I walked to the closet where he was rummaging around. He bumped his head into hangers, jostling the clothes and knocking a suit jacket loose. I’d never hit my head like that, but then again, he was almost eight inches taller than me. The mop of brown hair on his head was still wet from his shower and was sticking out everywhere.I stifled a laugh from seeing h
Reciprocity Chapter 2
It was mid-morning when an event popped up in my email. I opened it up to find an all-hands meeting scheduled in thirty minutes. My gaze moved over the piles and piles of work we had, and I sighed. I’d been doing that a lot lately—sighing my way through the day. It was never a good time for a meeting, and it was the usual meet and greet of some new employee to the firm.Begrudgingly, Owen and I moved toward the conference room where everyone was milling around, waiting for the meeting to start. After a few minutes, Jack Holloway—boss and ruler almighty—walked in the back door to the room and asked for everyone to settle down.“Good morning, everyone! I know it’s a busy day, but what day isn’t? I’ll try to make this short,” he began.I felt a buzzing in my pocket and discreetly pulled my phone out, looking down at the message from Nathan.Things went well. Tell you all about it soon. We can celebrate tonight. Oh, yeah, and you’re beautiful as fuck. Can’t stop thinking about
Reciprocity Chapter 3
It took a while to recoup from our activities and to resume cooking dinner. A nap followed by a shower killed a few hours. The sun had set long ago, and there wasn’t much left of the day.My leg muscles quivered as I stood at the counter. They were weak from all the things Nathan did to me, and threatened to give out. As I pulled the pasta out of the pantry, I looked at the trash can. I had to throw everything out, and even considered pitching the burned pot. Nathan boasted about his ability to clean it, and I was giving him the opportunity to prove it before throwing it away.He also promised to clean up the…mess by the kitchen table.The cracking noise of the pasta breaking as I put it in the pot covered up all other sound, so I didn’t hear Nathan as he stepped up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.“Trying again? I thought we’d just order in.”I shrugged. “Pasta is quick and easy, and I’m hungry.”His lips pressed against my neck. “Me too. I worked up an ap
Reciprocity Chapter 4
“You two look like the cat that ate the canary. What’s going on?” Dr. Morgenson asked, looking between us.“We’re getting married in two weeks.” Nathan smiled, but his eyes hardened as he stared at the good doctor, almost as if warning him.Darren blinked, his gaze shifting between us, studying. Then a chuckle slipped from the smile forming on his face. He shook his head and continued to laugh.“What?” Nathan asked. It was obvious he was as confused at Dr. Morgenson’s reaction as I was.“I’m beginning to wonder if you even need me anymore. The rate at which you’re improving is astonishing and has very little to do with me,” he said as he lifted his glasses and wiped away the tears in his eyes.I leaned forward and shook my head. “But we owe you so much.”His eyebrows shot up and he chuckled. “I mediate at best. I get you to open up to each other and communicate. But it’s been months since you’ve needed me in that capacity. I am in no way saying you’re both fine, but I bel
Reciprocity Chapter 5
The countdown was on—three days. We still needed to finish up the workweek before boarding a plane, and my insides felt like a ticking time bomb.That was probably why Drew, Caroline, Nathan, and I all went out to lunch—to relax. We’d decided on a sandwich shop not far from the office, specializing in grilled subs and fresh-cut fries. Drew drove Caroline and me, while Nathan was a few minutes behind due to a meeting with a client.After ordering for Nathan and myself, I searched for a table for the four of us. The restaurant was pretty empty, being that it was mid-week, so there were lots of options. I found one and waited for the others to join me.“So, are you changing your name, hyphenating, or keeping Palmer?” Drew asked as he took the seat across from me. He’d learned fast that the seat beside me was reserved for Nathan.I shook my head like mad. “Hell, no… Am I keeping Palmer?” I scoffed. It wasn’t hard to imagine where the anger stormed from for a name that’d been mi
Reciprocity Chapter 6
Meeting with the event coordinator, Marie, went smoothly. She was a petite brunette with a curvy figure, round face, and wide, bright green eyes that stood out against her tanned skin. Her bubbly and open personality set me at ease the moment we met.She’d done a great job asking all the questions in the few short weeks before the wedding and rolling it all together in time. Granted, I wasn’t a bridezilla. I let her fill in a lot of the blanks. In the end, I had a feeling she liked having the freedom to plan a wedding for a bride who wasn’t so specific on every single detail. Especially with the short timeline.Marie snapped her binder closed and stood after going over everything with us. “All right, I’ll see all of you back here in two hours for the dress rehearsal. Hopefully you can round up the men by then.” She snickered and waved as she headed back to her office.I was so happy to have her. She’d made the whole process so much easier and kept me from having a panic atta
Reciprocity Chapter 7
I stood in front of a mirror, all alone, staring at a vision that wasn’t the normal me. My hair was done in a low, loose bun with a white rose and some baby’s breath. There was no more makeup than I usually had on, but combined with the dress and my hair, I looked foreign to myself.Five minutes after Caroline ushered Teresa out, the anxiety was intensifying. My mind couldn’t get over the fact that it was really happening. I had to be dreaming.“They’re ready for you,” Marie said as she held out a bouquet of white roses.I wrapped my fingers around the base, then took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. She drew back the curtain, and I stepped out onto the sand. My arms shook out the tension that was building before I took another step. After all, what did I have to be nervous about? I was getting married, and I was happy.We made it.Against all odds and every obstacle we encountered, Nathan and I were going to be a family in a few short moments. There were more trials
Reciprocity Chapter 8
NathanWaking up in paradise was bittersweet. It was the last day of our honeymoon, and we were heading back to Indianapolis in a few short hours. Lila was snuggled into my side, naked, as the sounds of the ocean filled my ears and the warmth of the sun coming through the windows heated my skin.A part of me wanted to stay. If we were two thousand miles away, Marconi would never know what transpired a week ago. Going home meant the possibility, a very good one, of him finding out about Lila. No matter how much I tried to beat back the fear, it still sat in the back of my mind—the beast prowling in his iron cage. He knew and tore at my insides to remind me. My chest tightened at just the thought of it all.I stroked my fingers up and down her arm, staring at the white gold band on my hand, still in awe that I’d done it.“Fuck. Me,” I whispered as I watched the ring on my finger while my hand drifted up her side.She twitched, but otherwise she kept still and was completely
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