Lauren laughed softly just before grasping his fully erect cock and then impaling herself on him in one fluid movement. At the guttural sound that escaped from his throat, she bent and whispered, “Honey, if that’s your idea of punishment, then I’ll take that sort of discipline all day long.”
He couldn’t even try to dream up a witty comeback, for her lips claimed his in a long, dirty kiss as she began to ride him with slow, almost lazy movements, rotating her hips in one direction then the other. Her breasts were crushed up against his chest, her thighs splayed wide apart as she began to pick up the pace of her movements. Ben groaned beneath her mouth, his hands gripping her ass firmly as he urged her to ride him faster.
Their cries echoed through the night as they both came hard, Lauren’s teeth biting down almost savagely on the flesh between his neck and shoulder blade, but he was too far gone to even wince at the pain.
“It’s a good thing,” he told her raggedly a few minutes later, “that our closest neighbor is at least a quarter of a mile from here. Though as loud as you just were, it’s possible they still heard you.”
“Hey!” she protested, giving him a little shove. Tenderly, her fingers traced over the purple mark she’d left on his skin. “Oops, sorry about that. But at least now you’ve got a matching set of hickeys.” Her hand slid to his other shoulder, where she had left a similar mark two days ago.
“Bloodthirsty little witch,” he growled, giving her a much harder smack on the ass this time. “Now, look. You’ve got one more chance to redeem yourself. Tell me what constellation is right up above us.”
“Okay. I’ve got this one,” she assured him, squinting up at the night sky. “It’s – um – don’t give me any hints now. I know!” she exclaimed proudly. “It’s Sirius, isn’t it?”
Ben shook his head, the look on his face one of pure deviltry. “Nope. Still Cassiopeia. Looks like you’re stuck doing cowgirl for a few more days.”
Her green eyes were full of mirth as she whispered, “Yee haw” just before bending her head down to his for another kiss.
Epilogue
Four Years Later – Christmas Eve, Carmel
James Butterfield smiled as he and his wife observed their great-nieces and nephews as they excitedly opened the gifts that he and Madelyn had brought for them. All four children – a pair each of male and female twins – were around two and a half years old, having been born within just a few months of each other. Every adult here this evening was thoroughly enjoying watching the youngsters as they got caught up in the Christmas spirit, and James was no exception.
It still pained him each time he thought of the child that Madelyn had lost all those years ago – his child – and that she’d had to deal with the trauma and sorrow of her miscarriage all alone. And he deeply regretted that she had never had a child of her own, for he knew after seeing her with her nieces and their children what a wonderful mother she would have made. But she had assured him repeatedly that it didn’t matter any longer, that she not only had her sister’s children and grandchildren but James’s son and daughter and their offspring as well. More importantly, she had told him, they had each other after all those years apart.
“I do find it a bit odd, though, that both of the girls are such well behaved little angels, while the boys – well, I believe the word hellion fits them to a tee,” chuckled James. “Especially after all the stories you told me about their mothers – how different Julia and Lauren have always been from each other.”
Madelyn nodded, taking a sip of the very fine champagne that Julia and Nathan had brought. “It’s definitely not a case of history repeating itself with this generation,” she agreed, before adding with a chuckle, “in more ways than one.”
James looked around the great room of his in-laws’ Carmel beach house, a warm, open space that was very different from his former, rather stuffy residence in England. He and Madelyn had spent a considerable amount of time out here in California over the past few years to visit her sister and nieces, and would be spending even more time in the area after she retired next spring.
“One more spring Fashion Week,” she’d promised him. Then they planned to sell her apartment in New York, buy a home here in Carmel, and split their time between California and the flat they owned in London. When they weren’t traveling, of course, something they looked forward to doing a great deal more of come spring.
Their wedding anniversary would occur in less than two months time – on Valentine’s Day. They had been married in Paris nearly four years ago, in a simple but very romantic ceremony witnessed only by Madelyn’s sister, brother-in-law, nieces, and their husbands, as well as James’s son and daughter and their spouses and children. His family had welcomed Madelyn into their lives with warmth and affection, and had been all too happy that he had finally been reunited with his long lost love.
Madelyn shook her head as the two extremely rambunctious boys began to chase one of Robert’s prized Australian Shepherds around the room. But the young dog followed its inbred herding instincts, and instead began to lightly nip at the children’s heels, bringing them back in line. She laughed as this action repeated itself several times.
“I think perhaps their parents ought to buy themselves a herding dog – or two – to keep those little devils in line. Though it’s already too late to save their clothes, I’m afraid.”
One of the boys – Noah – had spilled juice on his neatly pressed tan slacks less than five minutes after the evening’s festivities had begun, while his twin – Justin – had lost his navy pullover sweater somewhere and his white oxford shirt was untucked and wrinkled.
By contrast, their female cousins – Daisy and Summer – were sitting contentedly on the window seat on either side of their father as he patiently helped them take their brand new Barbie dolls out of their packaging. The little girls were each wearing the gorgeous Christmas dresses that Maddy had sent them a few weeks ago – a red and black plaid taffeta for Daisy, and a white satin and green velvet for Summer. Like their mother and their aunt before them, the twins were never dressed exactly alike, their parents insisting that the girls establish their own identities. Except that Daisy and Summer were very much alike in both looks and personalities, just as their far rowdier male cousins were.
“Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes,” announced Natalie. “Nathan, do you mind pouring another round of champagne for everyone, please? Well, except for Julia, of course.”
Julia was four months into her second pregnancy, and it had already been confirmed that this time she would only be having one baby and not another set of twins. The news had actually come as a huge relief to her and Nathan, since their two sons were more than a handful.
Lauren patted her sister’s gently rounded bump, hidden behind a Tiffany Rose maternity dress of mulberry jersey. Julia insisted on being stylish even during her pregnancies, though her usual stilettos had been replaced by lower heeled pumps. “So you’re finally going to have a little one you can dress up in lace and frills. Not to mention being able to decorate the nursery in ten different shades of pink.”
The ultrasound Julia had undergone just a few days ago had revealed that this new baby would be the girl she’d always wanted. She had been shocked with her first pregnancy to learn that she would be having not one but two boys, but that realization had only been the beginning of her surprise. Because instead of being placid and docile like she had been as a child, Noah and Justin had been little devils from the time they could crawl. They constantly got into mischief, could rarely sit still, and were always getting dirty. Julia was usually exhausted after a day with them, and happily let Nathan take over when he got home from work. Working full time was out of the question for her, and she now handled design projects working from her home office as time permitted – which was not nearly as often as she would have liked given the amount of time and energy her sons demanded.