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  “Mmm.” She moaned and threw her head back, pushing her breast harder into his palm.

  “You like that?” he asked gruffly.

  In reply, she swiveled her pelvis, seeking more of the delicious waves of desire that were flooding her courtesy of the friction of their bodies.

  He dipped his hand into the tiny triangle of her bikini bottom, his fingers gliding over her sex and trailing lower, finding her damp and wet, she knew.

  “You like it a lot,” he muttered.

  And when he slid a finger over her clit, she liked it even more. He began to circle the exact spot she needed and pleasure flowed over her. She rocked her hips to the same tempo he worked her clit, causing more waves of desire to soar over her quickly.

  She ground into him, and he continued to flick at her clit. Need crested as a sudden flash fire of a climax overtook her, and she dug her fingers into his shoulders and rode out the orgasm, pleasure suffusing her completely.

  She came to herself, her face buried in the crook of Braden’s neck, breathing in his scent, her body still trembling. He ran a soothing hand along her back, but the caress caused arousal to spike inside her again. She was surprised he could ignite her again so quickly and groaned, licking the salty skin on his neck.

  His fingers tightened on her flesh. “Had enough toes in the sand?” he asked, his rigid erection throbbing against her.

  “What are you suggesting as an alternative?”

  “Bedroom,” he said as he thrust his hips upward, giving her a definitive answer.

  “Works for me.”

  He pushed himself to his feet, pulling her up with him and carrying her back across the sand, Monty at their feet.

  * * *

  Following Juliette’s directions, Braden carried her into the guest room of Halley’s house and headed straight for the bed, depositing her onto the mattress.

  She bounced once and crawled backwards, leaning against the headboard, crooking a finger at him. “Are you going to join me?”

  He eased himself up on the bed and grasped the sides of her bikini, pulling the bathing suit down and off her long legs, baring her pussy to his hungry gaze.

  She was wet with arousal, glistening and making his mouth water. He gripped her hips and encouraged her to sit while he lay down on the bed. “Let me devour you,” he said, urging her with a nudge to climb up and put her knees on either side of his head.

  She blushed but did as he asked.

  “Now lower yourself onto my mouth, city girl.”

  She looked down at him, excitement in her eyes as she followed his urging. Soon he was tasting, licking, eating the most delicious pussy he’d ever tasted. He held on to her thighs, digging his fingers into her flesh as he sucked on her clit.

  She groaned and began to grind herself down on him, taking what she needed to get herself off again. His cock was hard as a rock, but to him, nothing mattered except her pleasure, which he doubled his efforts on giving.

  Soon she was moaning, arching her back, riding his mouth until she screamed her climax, shuddering and shaking on top of him. Finally, she slid her legs off and collapsed onto the bed, catching her breath.

  He wiped his mouth on his forearm before sliding a hand into his cargo shorts pocket and pulling out two condoms he’d brought with him just in case he got lucky. Because he dreamed of her constantly. He tossed the packets onto the bed and removed his shorts, grasping his cock in his hand.

  He’d been waiting for this moment, to get this girl into his bed. Okay, so it wasn’t his bedroom but he’d make do.

  He glanced over to find Juliette staring at him, her hair falling over her shoulders, her eyes glazed with desire.

  He picked up a condom. “Are we on the same page?” he asked, because he had the sense she was vulnerable and he didn’t want to take advantage.

  “One hundred percent.”

  He ripped the condom with his teeth and slid it over his dick, her hot gaze on him the entire time.

  He came over her, grasping her hands in his and sealing his lips over hers. Kissing her fulfilled something inside him, something that had been broken that she seamlessly put back together. She took his mind off the bad things in his life and made him think about the best ones. About her.

  His cock throbbed against her stomach and her hips writhed beneath him. Not willing to wait another second, he braced his hands on either side of her and lifted himself up, his cock finding her entrance as he began to arch into her.

  She was soft, wet, and so fucking tight he had to grit his teeth and hold back the wave of desire that could have him coming in a second. “Sweetheart, how long has it been?” he asked her.

  She glanced away. “We are so not having this conversation.”

  “Oh, we so are.” He paused barely inside her.

  “I lost my virginity at nineteen. It was fast and uninspiring and that was it.”

  Protectiveness and possessiveness vied for dominance inside him. She’d waited so long and had chosen him to break her dry spell. He was both honored and humbled, unsure of how to react.

  He kissed her gently, rocking his hips, causing him to ease into her without rushing or thrusting too hard, determined to make this good for her.

  She moaned as he slid deeper, her inner walls clasping him in tight, damp heat.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  She shook her head and he stilled. “What is it?”

  “You’re being too careful. I’m empty and aching and you’re going too slow.” She squeezed her muscles around him, and his body tightened, urging him to move.

  So he raised his hips and plunged deep.

  “Yes,” she said, her voice a low, throaty moan. “That feels so good.”

  He picked up his pace and began a steady rhythm, taking her harder with each successive thrust, feeling her clench and writhe around him. Nothing had ever felt better. Nothing had ever been more… right.

  Their bodies were in sync, the rocking of hips, the thrust and release of his cock inside her, everything coalescing, as sensations built higher, faster, until his entire being was locked and loaded. His balls drew up, his spine tingled, and just as she stiffened beneath him, his climax pulled him up and over the edge.

  A mind-numbing orgasm hit him, causing him to spiral and lose himself to the woman beneath him. They breathed into each other, panting and catching their breath.

  A little while later, he’d cleaned up and they lay cuddled beneath the comforter, her head on his shoulder.

  “How did you go so long?” he couldn’t help but ask her.

  She sighed into him. “I never met anyone who I wanted to be with. The first guy was a let’s-get-it-over-with act. I didn’t want that for myself again.” She ran her fingers over his chest as she spoke. “My father had me host dinner parties. His friends would get handsy and I’d have to duck advances, not that my father ever knew.”

  He stiffened beneath her, hands clenching into fists as he held her tight. Nobody had looked out for her. She’d appeared to live the life of a sheltered princess when in reality she’d been manipulated, used, and nearly taken advantage of.

  He pulled her tighter against him. “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m just glad I waited for you.” She pressed her lips to his jaw, placing light kisses over his flesh. “You see me.” Kiss. “You understand me.” Kiss. “And you’d never lie to me.”

  He stiffened beside her, guilt overtaking him.

  “On another subject, being with Monty got me thinking,” she said, unaware of his train of thought. “About your father.”

  He turned his head and met her gaze. “What about him?”

  “I was thinking we could bring Monty over. He’d love petting and spending time with Monty, and it would relax him and ease his stress.” She bit her lip, then said, “I did some research on the subject and it can definitely benefit him.” She glanced at him with hopeful eyes.

  She was looking out for his father and he fell harder for her in that moment. �
��Thank you.” He rolled her over and kissed her, his cock hard and ready to go again.

  And that’s what they did.

  * * *

  That afternoon, at Juliette’s urging, Braden took her and Monty to see his father. When they arrived, Jonathan had been in an agitated state, pacing the room, worried he was going to get in trouble from his dad for putting a dent in the car. He was totally in his own world and it shattered Braden to see his father so lost. Every time he viewed him with his dementia was like the first time, the punch in the gut was so strong.

  Juliette sat Jonathan down and placed Monty in his lap, and a little while later, Jonathan looked up, totally with it, and asked, “Son, will you do the puzzle with me tonight?”

  Braden knew his father’s being present wouldn’t last, but the dog had brought him a little bit of peace and Braden owed Juliette for that.

  He owed her for the way she sat with his dad now and looked through photo albums, patiently listening to him tell her stories about the past, while Monty snored beside him.

  Falling for her was as easy as breathing. But the obstacles between them were still there. She might be sweet and willing to help him with his father for the time being, but she deserved to have the world at her feet – and he couldn’t give that to her. He didn’t have the financial means she was used to nor was his time his own. Not to mention the big omission between them.

  Tell her, he thought.

  But she’d just laid her head on his chest and said she knew he’d never lie to her. His stomach had twisted as she’d spoken and his conscience screamed to come clean. But then she’d started talking about his dad, distracting him.

  And the reality was, he wanted more time with her before she discovered he was just another person in her life who’d lied.

  * * *

  Juliette cleaned up Halley’s house, washed the bedding, and made sure she returned the place in the same condition in which she’d gotten it. Halley and Kane had a fantastic weekend away and Juliette was grateful she’d given them that time.

  She spent the beginning of the next week working and she was on her second-to-last day at Grace’s. Over the last few weeks, she’d come to recognize many of the regulars, and even the visitors from Manhattan with money were obvious to her. So when Juliette saw the raggedy-looking woman sitting alone in a booth, she stood out.

  Grabbing a pot of coffee, Juliette walked over to her. “Regular?” she asked. “Or decaf?”

  “Regular,” the woman said, her straggly hair hanging over her face before she tucked it back with one hand. “Need my caffeine.”

  With a smile, Juliette filled her cup. “I’ll be back to take your order,” she said and headed to her other tables to top them off.

  “Wait. Please.” The woman called her back.

  “Yes?”

  “Can you sit for a minute?”

  Juliette narrowed her gaze. “I’m working.”

  The woman waved her hand through the air. “It’ll just take a few minutes.”

  Wary now, Juliette lowered herself into the bench seat across from her. “How can I help you?”

  Looking nervous now, the woman fidgeted in her seat. “I guess there’s no easy way to say this. I’m your mother.”

  Juliette froze, her eyes on the woman in front of her. She had blue eyes and deep grooves in her face from age or life, looking nothing like the woman in the photograph her father had kept.

  Knowing everything she did about Meg Ward and the lack of care with which she’d handled her children, Juliette didn’t want to feel anything. Not even pity.

  This woman had given birth to her and Juliette’s nerves were the dominant emotion inside her. “How did you find me?” she asked, more curious about that than the woman herself.

  Of course, she needed to know what she wanted, too, because she had no doubt her mother had an agenda. She hadn’t come to play mom. It was years too late for that, and from what Juliette understood, her mother was incapable of providing anyone with what they needed. She was unable to even help herself.

  Meg looked taken aback by Juliette’s cool question. Maybe she’d expected Juliette to cry or throw herself into her arms, to be vulnerable to her manipulation. After what she’d recently put Halley through, pretending to want a relationship, then stealing a valuable family heirloom, Juliette had her guard up high.

  “Your father, in his utter disgust and frustration, let it slip that you had a job at the local coffee shop in Rosewood Bay,” Meg began.

  Juliette nodded, curling her free hand so her nails dug into her skin. She could only imagine the horror her father felt knowing that she was working like a commoner for a living.

  “You talked to my father.” A chill raced over her skin at the knowledge her parents were, in fact, in touch.

  Her mother leaned on the table in front of her. “Your father and I have talked over the years. He… paid me to stay away from you,” she said as if she had a juicy secret.

  “I figured that out already,” she said dully, hating having her suspicion confirmed. Her father, the man she’d loved, trusted, given up years of her life for, had betrayed her in a spectacular way. The hits just kept coming.

  “We could have had a relationship if not for him.” Her mother reached for her, but Juliette yanked her hand away from the coffeepot and this woman’s clutches.

  “You mean if you hadn’t chosen money and drugs over your children. What do you want from me?”

  “Juliette, customers!” Grace called out, reminding Juliette she had a job to do.

  But she wanted to finish this conversation. She glanced over her shoulder and held up one hand. “Five minutes? Please?” she asked Grace.

  The other woman nodded and spoke to Tawny, gesturing to her to cover Juliette’s tables.

  She turned back to her mother. “Well?”

  Meg twisted her hands together on the table, obviously nervous, too. “I thought maybe, with your father refusing to pay me anymore, since you know all about me now, that maybe you could see your way to helping out your mother.” Her blue eyes held on to Juliette’s, a pleading look in her expression.

  Juliette blinked hard. “You’re here for money?”

  “My life hasn’t been easy, Juliette. The jobs I can get are the worst and my apartment is … to put it nicely, a shithole. You’re the only family I have left and I hoped you’d take pity on me. I already know better than to try for a relationship. I’m sure your sisters killed any hope I might have had for that. And believe it or not, I wanted to know my girls.”

  “But you want money more.” Juliette rose to her feet. “Sorry but the bank is closed here,” she said over the lump in her throat.

  Her mother didn’t look surprised, merely resigned. “Thanks for nothing,” her mother said, rising and walking away without looking back.

  A wealth of sadness flowed over her, for the mother she’d always wanted and would never have, for the lies told and the losses in her life.

  For the next thirty minutes, she tried to work, but she was badly shaken by her mother’s visit. She made mistakes with orders, served people the wrong dish, and spilled soda onto the floor.

  “Take the rest of the day, hon,” Grace said. “You’re no good to me here.”

  “I’m sorry,” Juliette said, reaching for the back of her apron to untie it. She wouldn’t even argue with her boss. She was a mess and couldn’t work.

  Grace gave her an understanding look. “Personal things happen. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Heading out into the sunlight, she blew out a long breath. She blinked, her eyes teared, and she realized it wasn’t from the sun. It was from meeting her money-hungry mother, who wanted nothing from her but cash.

  As she walked to her car, she used the time to breathe deep and calm down. She’d held it together while talking to her mother, but the confrontation threw her more than she’d thought at the time. All her life, she’d dreamed of the mother she’d lost early on, wishing she’d had those arms ar
ound her when she was sad, to join her for celebrations, or to help her through the more awkward parts of becoming a woman. When she’d gotten her period, her father sent her to their longtime nanny to give her the information she needed. And all along, he’d been paying her real mother to stay away.

  And Meg had been greedily taking everything she could, not caring that she had children, two in foster care, one lonely and longing for a mother.

  She drove to her sister Halley’s house. It was more likely her painter sister would be home than her real estate agent sibling.

  She parked on the street and knocked on the door.

  Halley answered quickly. “Hi, Juliette.” She took one look at what must be her stricken face and asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “I had a visitor at Grace’s. Our mother came by.”

  Halley’s eyes opened wide and she grasped Juliette’s hand, pulling her into the house and shutting the door behind her. “What happened?”

  She followed Halley through the house to the sofa in the living area. They settled in, Juliette kicking off her shoes and tucking a leg beneath her.

  “She sat in my area, asked me to join her, looked me right in the eye, and said she was my mother. She told me my father let it slip how to find me. She said now that I knew about her, he refused to pay her to stay away any longer. And she outright asked me to help her instead.”

  “She didn’t pull any punches this time, did she? She didn’t even try and claim she wanted a relationship before going in for the kill,” Halley said with a shake of her head. “Jesus.”

  Juliette swallowed hard. “I knew that about her. I should have expected nothing better, so why does it hurt so badly anyway?” she asked, embarrassed by the tears in her eyes.

  Halley clasped her hands inside her own. “Because everyone wants a mom. And we had the right to expect our mother to put us first, not sell us out.”

  Juliette blinked and tears fell. “I feel so guilty,” she said, unable to stop the flow.

  “For God’s sake, why?” her sister asked.