Just One Promise Read online

  13

  Heath

  “Babe,” I say to get Audrey’s attention. She’s sitting on the back deck, in a piece of furniture that I have no idea the name, but it’s badass. It’s a circle like bed, with a canopy that shades the top half. In her hands is a book, she’s so engrossed she didn’t even hear me.

  Sliding in beside her, I move the hair that’s fallen into her face. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t see you there,” she says.

  “No worries, I was coming out here to see if ordering pizza was okay for dinner tonight.”

  “God, yes,” she all but moans.

  “What do you like on your pizza?” I know I’ll be ordering two of them no matter what.

  “You’re going to make me choose, first off let me warn you. I love pizza, like pizza is probably my first love, ever. Also, I’ll eat it until it’s gone. Leftovers are life,” she drops her book to her lap, her hands are in the air, you can tell she’s passionate about her pizza. Could this woman be any more amazing?

  “So, yeah. Whatever pizza you like I’ll eat, but my favorite of all time? Pineapple and pepperoni, it’s my favorite, but whatever you order I’ll eat. Well, minus anchovies, that’s just a no go,” not being able to stop myself, I kiss her with everything I have.

  When we pull apart, her forehead finds my chest and she plants herself there.

  I hold her, if she feels the way I do, this much and this fast, she’ll need a moment to breathe. I just hope she doesn’t walk away if the emotion gets too big and too fast for her.

  “Thank you, Heath. You’ve um...really shown me what I’ve been missing for so long,” her voice muffled from my chest.

  “I’ll always be here, Audrey,” and that’s the god’s honest truth. I will be there for her, as long as she lets me.

  When she moves off of me, going back to her book, I pull my phone out and bring up the pizza delivery app and order our pizza. It notifies me it’ll be about forty-five minutes to an hour. I take this time to lay beside Audrey, as she turns and moves into my body, but not letting her book go. It’s a welcome feeling, one I bask in beside her.

  Looking down, I see it’s no other than a book I’ve seen my mom, Summer, and Quinn read. Try as a might, I can’t keep the laughter from bubbling up inside and coming out.

  Audrey’s head pops up and she says, “What?”

  “You’re going to fit right in, babe.” I leave it at that, her face has a look of wonder. When I don’t say anything, she returns to reading her book while in my arms.

  14

  Audrey

  Waking up alone in Heath’s bed again for the second day in a row is getting annoying. I’ve noticed he’s an early riser, something I’m not much of. Last night we went to bed, skin on skin, nothing between us.

  Getting out of the bed, I see Heath’s discarded shirt he had on yesterday and slide it over my naked body, along with a pair of panties I fish out of the drawer Heath cleaned out for me.

  Walking down the stairs, I stop in the kitchen already knowing where the man of the hour, my man is.

  I make a cup of coffee, adding lots of creamer and sugar, before walking to the back deck to watch Heath surf.

  Getting lost in watching his body move with his board, the fluent way he moves, Heath was made for surfing, like it is for us walking.

  I finish my cup while watching them. I’m ready for cup number two when I see all three brothers emerge from the water. Heath told me they’d be out here with him. When they reach the sand, they all put their boards down and slowly peel out of their wetsuits. Sure, his brothers look good, but my eyes never leave Heath.

  He sees me watching him and his smile broadens, I smile and wave at him. I see the laugh he lets out, I do the same but feel like a total dork for waving, as if he didn’t see me.

  I hurry into the kitchen to make myself another cup of coffee as well as a cup for Heath. When I return, I see all of them are now on Heath’s back deck.

  “Audrey, want you to meet my brothers, Rome and Mason.”

  “Hey, nice to meet you,” I reply and shake their hands, Heath moves me in closer to his side, like he’s asserting that I’m his.

  Trying hard to hold my composure, I smile.

  Listening to them talk about the plans they have going on for today, I tune them out and watch the waves crashing, hearing the noise of the beachgoers as they slowly start their day, it lulls me into a calm atmosphere.

  “Babe, you okay with that?” Heath says.

  “Huh, what? Sorry, I was completely zoned out,” I feel heat blossom on my cheeks.

  Chuckling he says, “You and I going over to Rome’s tonight, the family will be there too.”

  “Oh, uh, yeah. As long as that’s okay with you guys?” I respond.

  “If Heath doesn’t bring you, Summer will have my head.” Rome responds.

  “Not to mention Quinn, we’ll never hear the end of it,” Mason says.

  “Then we’ll be there. What can we bring?” I ask.

  “If you cook like Heath, chips and salsa. Store bought preferably. If you cook better than him, anything you want.” Rome is laughing after he tells me something I kind of figured out on my own.

  “I can cook, but don’t tell Heath. He’ll never let me leave,” I wink. We all say our goodbyes, Rome and Mason grab their surfboards walking to their places.

  “Audrey, if I had it my way, you wouldn’t leave,” giving me a soft kiss, he makes his way to his outdoor shower, much like he did yesterday.

  “Yeah, I’m thinking I wouldn’t want to leave anyway,” I whisper to myself.

  15

  Heath

  Audrey didn’t think I heard her, but fuck did I ever. I hated and loved that she met my brothers in nothing but my tee shirt. But knowing she was wearing something of mine, hair a mess from last night, with a soft glow surrounding her. It calmed me, plus my brothers didn’t even look at her in that way. No, it was more in a way of how I look at Summer and Quinn. Definitely more like a little sister.

  We spent the morning lazing around until Audrey said, “If you think for one minute we’re showing up with chips and dip, you’re crazy,” her hand was on her hip, she meant business. I shook my head and said, “I’ll get dressed and we’ll head out.”

  Now we’re at Rome’s, I place my truck in park, “Stay there, I’ll get your door.”

  “Okay.” Audrey ended up going with a dip, but it’s some kind of seven-layer dip that had my stomach growling while she was making it. I kept trying to sneak some when she wasn’t looking, but she somehow saw me coming and would slap my hand.

  “You ready for this?” I ask her, opening her door. She attempts to slide out with the platter in her hands. I take it from her before she can.

  “Oh yeah.” Audrey doesn’t seem nervous. I told her while we were in the kitchen earlier that this may seem too soon for most, but it’s not. It’s everything I could ever want. My heart and soul knew what it wanted the moment we locked eyes on the dance floor.

  In one hand I have the platter, and my other hand is on the small of her back as we walk into what I know all too well will be chaos, but the best chaos you can have with our family.

  Not knocking, we walk into Rome and Summer’s place. It’s more of a home now than ever, I can hear Sawyer and Parker in the distance.

  “Hey,” I say as we walk into the kitchen, setting the platter down on the counter. I see my mom, Rome, Summer, Mason, Quinn, my nephews Sawyer and Parker, and my niece Alana. She’s my girl, and she knows it all too well. She toddles right up to my leg and lifts up her arms, I comply.

  “Hey, baby girl,” I tell her as she snuggles into my chest, her head in the crook of my neck. Her thumb finds her mouth, turning to look at Audrey. Only then do I introduce her to everyone.

  My breath stops, I see the look in her eyes, that soft feeling comes over me, and I know I’ll do anything to make Audrey never want to leave.

  “Somebody’s tired,” Mason quips.

  “Nah, she ju
st loves her Uncle that much. Everyone, I’d like you to meet Audrey,” the arm not holding Alana, stays firmly on the small of Audrey’s back.

  Mom is the first one to come up to us. She kisses my cheek and moves right to Audrey. “I’ve heard so much about you already, thank you for coming today, I’m Tina. You’ve met my boys already, but these are their wives, Summer and Quinn,” she hugs Audrey.

  And this is why I fucking love my family. The girls come up and hug her too and then she’s whisked away to the back patio. I’m left with my brothers, mom, my nephews, and Alana, who’s still in my arms.

  “Think he’s sunk Mason?” Rome chuckles.

  “Like an anchor, brother. Like an anchor,” Mason replies. I grunt, not saying a word.

  “My boys, when did you all grow up on me,” Mom says as she tries to not let tears shed from her eyes.

  “Ah, fuck, Mom. You know I can’t handle your tears,” Rome goes to mom, hugging her.

  “Rome! What have I told you about your mouth? How Summer deals with it, I’ll never know,” she admonishes.

  “Summer likes my mouth just fine,” Rome replies, when he lets her go, a smile on his face.

  Mom rolls her eyes, picking up what he’s laying down.

  “Alright, let me take my girl and set her down for a nap,” Mason tells me.

  “No way, it’s my time. She’s good where she’s at,” I move, turning away from him.

  “Whatever, it’s your funeral when Quinn can’t get her down at bedtime. Be prepared.”

  “Yeah, sure. Quinn loves me, she knows Alana loves me more, probably more than she loves you,” I joke.

  “What the fuck ever, don’t spoil her with too much sugar. I’ll have your ass for that,” he grunts and leaves.

  I take my time, talking to Alana, even though she doesn’t reply a lot, mainly she shakes her head no or tells me yes. When I see her eyes start to droop down, I take her to Parker’s room and lay her in his crib before going to rescue my woman from the herd.

  16

  Audrey

  Heath’s family is just like him, welcoming and sweet, and he’s got a big family. Unlike my own family. My father raised me, he’s an only child, and unfortunately his parents had him late in life, so it’s just the two of us.

  I’ve texted him, called him, and sent him pictures since I’ve been here. I even sent one of Heath and me. It was a photo of the two of us with the sun slowly rising in the background.

  My dad, being his loving self, told me to be careful but have fun. He’s a free bird, as soon as I moved out, he sold our small home, and has been moving every year all around Europe. I love that he’s off galivanting the globe, but I miss him like crazy too. When I told him, I was taking a vacation, he wanted me to come to France with him, but he was in the midst of moving and it was going to be a hectic time.

  Looking at Heath’s family, it makes me miss my dad though. I look around, Rome can’t keep his eyes off of Summer or their two children, his eyes always bouncing off one or the other. Mason always has a hand on Quinn since Heath took Alana the moment we got here. Speaking of that, I’m twenty-five years old, my ovaries should not be going into overdrive, and my mind should not be thinking what it would be like if we made a child of our own.

  Yet, I can already envision our child having his dimples, and sandy blonde hair. If it were a boy or a girl, I know Heath would have them on a surfboard before they could walk. I’d be cheering them on the whole way too.

  The man himself that I can’t keep my thoughts away from comes up beside me, almost scaring me when he puts his arm around my waist.

  “Hey, you,” I turn to look into his eyes.

  “You okay?” he questions.

  “I couldn’t be more perfect,” I return, his body surrounding mine.

  We all shoot the shit, Rome, Mason, and Heath talk about work and what’s going on for the upcoming week.

  “I’m out this week, I’ll work from home, but Audrey’s on vacation, and I’m spending as much time as possible with her,” Heath confronts them.

  I’m kind of shocked he’s telling them what he’s doing, I know they own their real estate business with one another. When he told me, he went to school for finance and economics, it didn’t even surprise me. The layers that are Heath Carter seem to unfold the more I know about him.

  “I’m good with that, as long as you don’t have any meetings at the office. But even then, you can have Mary reschedule them for you,” Rome states.

  “Really glad we gave Mary that bonus. Between the three of us, I don’t think we’re all there at the same time these days,” Mason chimes in.

  “Fuck, we’re getting old,” Heath grunts.

  I laugh, because these men, they’re all in their thirties. Summer and Quinn laugh right along with me.

  We sit around, eat, hang out, and enjoy the kids playing around us until the sun starts setting.

  This is the life, a life that I want with Heath.

  17

  Heath

  I couldn’t keep my hands off of Audrey the whole way home, my hand on her bare thigh, sliding up till it hit the juncture of her thigh. Her legs fell open so I could tease and play with her, never giving just what she wanted or needed.

  Last night she was still tender from our night before. Sleeping naked beside her and not touching her was an act of sheer good will. I wanted my hands, mouth, and dick inside her. But I knew if I started, we wouldn’t stop and the way she was walking yesterday, it told me just how sore she was.

  Now though, all bets are off. We walk into the house, she drapes her purse over the kitchen chair, and I growl out, “Audrey.”

  She turns around, I come up to her without a word and lean down and plant her over my shoulder. This fucking dress she has on, it’s been teasing me all day. My hand glides up the back of her thigh until my palm finds her ass, squeezing it, the flesh pliable under my hand.

  “Heath,” she moans out, it brings up every memory we made that first night.

  “I’m taking you tonight, Audrey. It’s been too damn long, and this time it’s going to be with my bare dick, gliding inside of you inch by inch.” When Audrey told me we could lose the condoms because she was on birth control to help regulate her cycle, I was beyond humbled. She trusted me, and I wasn’t taking that for granted, ever.

  Taking the stairs two at a time while holding her takes all of my concentration, especially when I feel two small hands on my own ass, she’s grabbing as much as she can.

  When we make it to the bedroom, I don’t even bother with turning on the light. Lifting her off my shoulder, I slowly bring her down the length of my body. She can feel every inch of me, including my hard as nails cock.

  “Oh god, I can’t wait to feel you inside me, Heath,” she breathes out, Audrey’s hand goes down to the hem of her dress and she lifts it up.

  “Fuck,” I grumble, her clothes are off. Audrey’s body is soft in all the right places, lush thighs, slim waist, and breasts that are more than a handful. When she unclasps her bra, her nipples are tight, and mine for the taking.

  My hand dives into her hair, our mouths collide, and my tongue takes everything she has to give. I should have taken my shirt off, to feel her breasts against my chest as I kiss her, but instead my other hand finds her nipple, pinching and pulling at it until her mouth is ripped away from mine. When her head tips back and she moans, I lick a path down her neck until I find her nipple, taking one in my mouth. I bite down, while I pinch the other.

  Audrey’s hands find my hair, she’s holding on for dear life, and I want to feast on the rest of her body.

  “Need you on the bed, now,” pulling away, I take my shirt off, followed by my shorts. The only thing keeping me from sinking inside her body right now is a tiny pair of underwear.

  She crawls on her hands and knees, her ass is calling me to spank it, but that will have to wait until later, much later.

  When she turns around and lays back, she spreads her legs open for me. Her han
ds glide down her body until she teases me with her hands at the ready to dive into what’s mine.

  I crawl in between her legs, my mouth nudges her hand away. Smelling her sweet scent, knowing my mouth will be tasting her, she has me growling.

  Moving the material to the side, I see every bare inch of her pussy, it’s glistening, and my mouth engulfs her.

  “God, what you do to me,” I murmur before diving back into what I’ve deemed my dessert.

  18

  Audrey

  Heath is between my legs, his lips, tongue, and fingers working me. My hands grasp his hair and I hold on for dear life, “Oh god, Heath, don’t stop,” I moan, this feeling is so intense, my legs are shaking uncontrollably. The inside of my body is quivering, and when his lips close around my clit, while two fingers plunge in and out of my center, I come.

  He slowly brings my body back down, with his mouth. My hands move to his shoulders, pulling him up and on top of me.

  “I need you inside me, Heath,” I whisper out.

  “Fuck yeah, you do.” He wrenches my panties off with a tear, and then his cock is at my entrance, he pushes in with one thrust. I feel all of him, my bare skin on his. It’s the most memorable feeling, and I’ll always have this moment etched into my memory.

  “Audrey,” Heath moans out, my hips meeting his.

  “I’m going to come,” my voice is choppy, “Oh no you don’t,” he murmurs as he pulls out of me. I feel completely empty. He moves me to my hands and knees, nudging my thighs further apart, and then he’s inside of me again.