A perfect life…
Lila Carls-Ellis has an amazing husband, beautiful twin daughters, and a dream job. But in the back of her mind lingers a dangerous desire—Evan Martin, and she can’t help but wonder what might have been.
Back in New York for a friend’s wedding, Lila runs into Evan, and the sight of him with another woman affects her in ways she never anticipated. A friendly visit turns into dinner, drinks, and a night of passion she has yearned for since leaving him four years ago.
A dangerous secret…
Liam Ellis knows his wife has a secret, but he wants her to confide it when she is ready. He’s devoted to her and their children and can’t imagine a scenario where he wouldn’t fight to protect the life they’ve built together. What could Lila have possibly done that would be devastating enough to threaten their future and the love they share?
One night can tear it all apart…
Lila knows she needs to confess her transgression to Liam, but can’t find the courage, terrified of losing everything. Is it possible for them to work through her lies, or is her perfect life gone forever? The only way out is through, and Lila has to admit the truth and face the consequences of that fateful, reckless night.
No matter what the cost.
Chapter One
Present Day Liam
It’s been five weeks since Lila woke up. It’s great to have her home with us. She seems to be doing well. She hasn’t said much about her trip to New York or Evan. The day he came to the hospital, what they did was written all over his face, but I could tell he was hurting. Plus, he seems to really care about the lady that was with him.
How do I tell my wife I know she cheated on me and that the baby she is carrying might not be mine? Doesn’t matter who the father is, really. The baby is mine. In my eyes, that’s our child. We haven’t told the twins we’re expecting yet. We want to make sure everything is fine before we tell too many people.
As I lie next to my beautiful wife, watching her sleep, I think how fucking lucky I am that she’s alive and all mine. She’s the most beautiful woman 8 Salvaged I’ve ever laid my eyes on. When I was in the reserves, the memory of her smile, her face, her touch got me through the days and the loneliness of the nights, along with her pictures, her letters, and knowing that someday we would spend the rest of our lives together here, in this house. My parents loved this house. I spent fourteen wonderful years here with them.
Now I’m able to give my children everything my parents gave me. Sometimes, watching the girls play on the beach brings back memories of my childhood, memories of playing football with my dad, of all the big family gatherings we had here. When both my parents died and I had to leave, I was really heartbroken. However, it lead me to my beautiful wife; the day I walked in and saw her talking with Ads, I knew, right then, she would be worth whatever I had to go through to be with her. Hell, even to this day I feel the same. No one can take the love I have for her away, and I will love her until my heart stops beating.
***
“Good morning, beautiful. How did you sleep?” I ask Lila right before I kiss her. We haven’t been intimate since the accident. Because of her injuries and how long she spent in a coma, the doctor said it would be a good idea if we waited six weeks.
Her arms have healed better than expected. The doctor was shocked when he realized they weren’t broken. They were fractured pretty badly, though. After a few extra weeks in physical therapy, she regained full use of them.
“I slept wonderfully knowing that I was wrapped up in your arms and that our beautiful girls are sleeping peacefully in their room,” she says as she straddles me. “Baby, you know what the doctor said. We have to wait before we can make love. Your ribs are still healing.” I run my hands along her legs. She has the most beautiful legs; they’re long and tan—not too skinny, not too chunky.
She slides her body down mine. Just as she reaches the top of my boxers, she says, “I know exactly what the doctor said. He didn’t say I couldn’t love my husband in other ways, now did he?” “Well, I guess he didn’t, but I want you so bad right now, Li. I don’t know if I could handle anything except being deep inside of you.”
I wrap my hands in her hair. She pulls my boxers off in one tug and grabs my length in her hands. She looks up at me and licks her lips. “I’ve been wanting to taste you since I woke up in the hospital. I love feeling you in my mouth.”
Then she goes full force, sucking hard. One of my hands is in her hair while the other pulls the sheets off the bed. Fucking hell, this is why I love this woman; she sees what she wants and goes for it.
“Lila, baby, I need you so bad. Climb up here, now!” I know the doctor said to wait, but hell, if she’s in control, she knows her limits, and I’m not going 10 Salvaged to deny her any pleasure she wants and needs.
She looks up at me with swollen lips and says, “I knew we couldn’t wait any longer.”
She slides back up and climbs on top of me. My dick is still very hard and ready to be inside her. With the wetness of her heat, I glide straight in. She’s so damn tight. As she rocks back and forth, my dick moving in and out of her, I can see how much she loves me. The look in her eyes. The touch of her hands. The way she’s always so ready for me. The way she comes completely undone as soon as I enter her.
I grab her hips and sit up on my knees as I hold her tight and make love to her for the first time in months. I didn’t know how much longer I could take. My hand just wasn’t doing it for me anymore, so I haven’t gotten off in months. God, I need to come so damn bad.
I want to make sure she gets hers, so I lay her on her back and kiss her breasts, nipping and sucking on both nipples before I make my way down her chest to her abdomen. I kiss every inch of her stomach, making small circles around her navel. My mouth works its way farther down until I reach her heat. God, her pussy is beautiful. Even after two kids, she looks so damn good. I slide a finger in her and then run my tongue over her clit.
“Oh, Liam. Holy fucking shit. Finger me hard, baby; use three fingers,” she yells. Damn, my girl likes it rough. “Come for me, Lila. Then I’ll slide back in.”
I push my fingers in as deep as I can, reaching the spot that I know will make her lose control. She arches her back, throws her head back, and rides out her orgasm, fucking my hand, screaming my name over and over. I want to kiss her so bad, but I know she hates tasting herself on my lips, so I bury my face in her breasts. I guide myself back inside of her and pump: one, two, and three.
“You have the best goddamn pussy, ever. Fuck!” I roar. “Mmm, I’m so glad you think so.”
“Fuck, you look so damn sexy. Stay right there; enjoy that high. I’m going to run you a bath.”
I go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, and run a nice bubble bath for my wife. I go back to the bed and smile when I realize she’s still lying there in her orgasm high. I kiss her and check on the girls. They’re both still sound asleep. I go back to our bedroom, pick Lila up, and carry her to the bathtub. “I can walk, you know.” She laughs as I sit her in the tub. I run back and grab the baby monitor and set it on the counter; then I slide in the nice, warm bath with my wife. I sit behind her with my legs wrapped around hers. I reach behind me, light a candle, and pick up a loofa and her favorite Bath & Body Works body wash. I wash and kiss every inch of her body. As she washes mine, she, of course, uses her body wash. I’ll smell like her all day.
“I love carrying you. Do you know how lucky I am? I’ve almost lost you twice. We’re never flying anywhere ever again.” I stand up and reach for a towel.
I dry myself off and then dry her off as she 12 Salvaged laughs at me. I know we need to talk, so I’m planning on taking her away for the weekend. My mom loves watching the girls. She said she missed out on my childhood, so she wants to see the girls as much as possible.
“How are our girls this morning?” Lila asks. She starts brushing her teeth. Damn, watching her stand in front of me with nothing but a towel on while brushing her teeth is making me hard as hell.
“They’re still sleeping. I’ll start breakfast before I wake them,” I say. I kiss my beautiful wife.
Addie and Maddie are like her. They’d sleep all damn day if you let them. They will be four years old in a few months and we’re planning on having a party at the Bounce House. I promised AJ he could go with us. He is a few years older than the girls, but he loves to hang around them. Although he’s their cousin, he’s like a big brother to them. They remind me of Ashton, Addison, and I when we were all that age. We were always together. I check on my girls again before heading down to make breakfast. Miss Rosa, the housekeeper, only comes in on the weekends. Rosa was the same housekeeper my parents had for so many years. The girls fell in love with her instantly, as did Lila. When Lila was in the hospital, Rosa stayed here and took care of everything. “Hey, handsome. What are you thinking about?” Lila says. She grabs a cup of hot tea and makes me a cup of coffee. Her hair is in a messy bun and she’s wearing a little makeup as well as a pair of yoga pants and a thin tank top. Fuck, she’s gorgeous. I grab her waist and pull her in for a kiss. I look in her beautiful blue eyes with a smile and say,
“You, as always.” She smiles and kisses me. “I love your lips and kissing you. I need to call Megan about a case. I have to appear in court Tuesday. We will be back from our trip by then, right?”
“Call her. Yes, we will. I’m going to get the girls so they can eat. You know they love blueberry pancakes.”
“Okay, I’m going to call her and then meet you at the breakfast bar.”
I walk up the stairs. I know the girls are probably still asleep. They each have their own bed, but most of the time they sleep together. Before Lila’s accident, they slept with us most nights. When I open the door, I find them playing with toys. “Hey, girls. Are you ready for breakfast? Daddy made your favorite pancakes,” I say. I help them get dressed. Addie runs and grabs her stuffed rabbit. “Hmm, did you make the blue cakes?”
“Yay, blue cakes. And apple juice?” Maddie says, placing a hand on each hip.
“Yes, and apple juice,” I reply. “Come on, Mommy is waiting for us.”
I pick both girls up and carry them downstairs. As I round the corner, I see Lila. She made the girls’ plates using their favorite princess plates. She also cut bananas and strawberries and put a smiley face on their pancakes with chocolate syrup.
“Hey, where’s my smiley face?” I laugh as I lean in and kiss her cheek. “We can use that chocolate later,” I joke.
Rolling her eyes, she gently smacks at my hands. “Aww, does Daddy want a smiley face? Girls, do you want to help Daddy make his pancakes look like yours?” Both girls jump up and down, screaming.
“I do! I want to put the face on the cakes, Mommy,” Addie says.
“Me too. Let me do it too, Addie,” Maddie says, trying to grab the strawberries. I hand Maddie the bowl of strawberries and smile. “You both can.”
Delisa Lynn grew up in Columbus,Ohio. She works in the medical field by day, and let's her characters come to life at night. She is an avid reader, mainly any book with Alpha males or a good romance novel. If she isn't working or writing you can find her curled up with her fur baby and her kindle. Or watching a good movie with her husband. She is a huge reality TV junkie.
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Kendall Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance novels, including Hard to Love, Unravel Me, Resisting Her and When I Break.
