Somehow, work had always given Trent the focus he needed. When he'd lost Sara, when his marriage had started to fall apart, he'd always relied on business and the high demands of being CEO to numb his emptiness. That time, it wasn't working.There wasn't a moment when he didn't miss having Gwen in his arms, wanting to hold her close and bury himself so deep inside her luscious heat that he'd never find his way out again. He missed Jonah, his solid, warm, bright character.How, even as a child, he seemed strong enough to face his demons and destroy them withyour goodness. God, Trent missed them so much. I was going crazy.The meeting with the board of directors seemed to last forever. Finally, just before dusk they were finished, and Trent could finally leave the building. He checked his cell phone for messages or calls he might have missed. No Gwen. It had been three weeks since she had walked into his office. Trent put the phone back in his pocket and stood outside the entrance to h
Gwen thought she would have dinner with a new donor. Her secretary, Amy, tipped her off and she arrived at the restaurant expecting someone else, not the woman who had been sitting there waiting.The last time he'd seen Julia Matthews, the woman had been trying to run over Gwen's mother. Now, she gritted her teeth and prepared to leave the restaurant again.Julia held up her hand. "Wait. Don't leave yet. At least listen to what I have to say."Gwen slowly turned to face her. "I actually thought I would be meeting someone from the foundation.""Well, I own the foundation, does that count?" Julia asked, with a small smile. She gestured to a chair. "Please have a seat. We need to talk."Gwen let out a short sigh and slowly sank into the offered seat. "What are you planning?Offer more money or more threats? Because I know it might look like I broke our agreement...""That's not why I set out to find her," Julia said. She was a beautiful woman, stunning and slender, with a serene face tha
Love, laughter, pleasure, tears and happiness—they would share it all for many, many years to come. And Gwen would always remember that morningsunny with their raucous outdoor lovemaking, marked as the moment when their twin daughters should have been conceived. Two years later, they would have another set of twins, boys this time, and Gwen and Trent decided that maybe they could be satisfied with their brood of five. But when they least expected it, Gwen became pregnant again, and it was a girl, which made the older twin sisters very happy.Gwen chose to name her Sara. Trent knew it wasn't like she was trying to replace the first daughter in Trent's heart, but that she was trying to show him that Sara was back to stay. Trent didn't used to believe in reincarnation, but somehow he felt it might be true. Sometimes, when his youngest daughter smiled at him, it seemedher little angel who had come home. For that, and for every miracle he had experienced in his life since he had Gwen bac
GWENCountry star JC HUGHES caught between a model and an engagement. How is he going to explain this to girlfriend Gwen Wix and her fans?“This is the second time this son of a. . .”I hiss under my breath as I look at the headline and the compromising image it conveys. In vivid color on the front page of the gossip magazine prominently displayed in the supermarket checkout line. For the second time in two months, it's an image of my "boyfriend" locked in an embraceunmistakably in love with another woman, only this time she's wearing a giant black stripeThe edges of the paper crumple in my sweaty grip, and I fight the urge to rip it to shreds, along with every copy on the shelf in front of me.He's going to destroy my career before I even get a chance to become a celebrity. One year, they said. One year of this "relationship" prank and I'd gain my freedom, and I'd be all set in the country music world. Judge me all you like for agreeing, but when you have no other way out, put som
GWEN“I'll put your ass on a bus back to Podunk if you don't toe the line, Wix. Could you sing where you worked? They won't even let you back onstage when I'm done ripping you to shreds,” Morty, the executive handjob, yells at me from the Homegrown Records conference room.It's been two months since the night I met Tana, and JC has managed to land in the paper three more times. I can't let this happen any longer. I've officially become the laughing stock of Nashville, and I can't stand the passive stares of the guys on my tour anymore.When the bus pulled into town this morning, I headed straight for Tana's house first. We've kept in touch and each time I've been back in town on a break, she's made time for us to be together. It's the first real friendship I've had since Mary Jane Devo, who married her Navy boyfriend and moved to Hawaii almost two years ago.I'm not the type of girl to make friends easily, mostly because I work as much as I can, and I never had extra money to go shopp
CREIGHTONChristmas Eve, New York CityBoredIt's not a safe state of affairs for a man like me. A lot of shit happens when I'm bored. I have a tendency to get involved in hostile takeovers when I need something to get my adrenaline going. Or I'm going to go out and pick up three women and introduce them to each other in the dirtiest way possible.Judge me all you like; I don't give a shit what you think about me. Because I own half of this town, and the other half isn't worth having.You can check the crotch of my pants, my Gucci suit for yourself.Not even a hint of a bulge there, even when I think of a foursome. Threesomes are great, but it's a sad situation when even a foursome can't get my dick interested.Because I'm fucking bored.I get up from my chair and go to my tower window. Do you see down there? Fifth Avenue? It's my city. We're just south of the park, which means the party lights are everywhere.I hate Christmas. Just another holiday that reminds me of things I'd rather
CREIGHTONFuck me.That's what her bright red lips are saying, and I don't think she has a damn clue how edible she is sitting on the bench. She shifts, and the glow around her neck reflects the purple light of the club.She caught my eye when she walked in the door because she looked so completely out of place.But I haven't been able to take my eyes off her because. . . Cum. I have no idea. I've had my fair share of beautiful women, but this is a completely different woman. Not the kind of trained woman who swarms this place, hunting and looking for her next meal ticket.No. _ One look at her, and I know she's untrained and innocent. She's not a gold digger type of woman.The way she immediately played along and never backed down from my touch. Hell, she leaned into me, wanting more. She's rare, and I'm the type of man who appreciates quality more than most when it comes to choosing a woman.And then there's the fact that she's sitting at the bar on Christmas Eve with no ring on her
CREIGHTONI need to take this slow. I need to take my time with her. She's the type of woman to be savored and cherished, but I so want to taste her innocence on my lips so bad, time and time again.I have his ass filling my hands and back against the wall before the door clicks shut behind us, and the whiskey bottle hits the floor. I take her mouth, sliding my tongue between her glossy red lips. Fuck you . So damn sweet, just like I knew they would be.Her moan goes straight to my balls. I rock around her, my cock pressing against her pussy. She moans and presses against me, her instincts coming strong despite her innocence. I reach down and wrap one leg around me, and she takes it quickly, repeating the movement with her other leg.Her skirt goes around her waist, and the heels of her boots dig into my ass. I need to fucking devour this woman. Her nails dig into my shoulders until firm.Do not worry, dear. I won't let you go anywhere.I bury a hand in her hair, tilting her head back