The Jaded: Reclaim Me Part 33

She's wearing a white dress with tiny straps. There's little lavender flowers thrown here and there. The dress hugs her ample b.r.e.a.s.t.s and then flows over her round belly and legs. The white is a stark contrast to her natural tan and the colorful ink all over her arms, chest, and shoulders. On her feet, she has on a pair of lavender sandals. She's grown her midnight black hair out the last several years, and it now goes to the middle of her back. I loved her pixie style, but her longer hair reminds me of a younger Mia. Not to mention, it's a good handle grab while I'm f.u.c.king her from behind.

I grow hard with just the thought of it and discreetly adjust my hardening c.o.c.k.

Later, I tell myself.

T is standing beside Mia as I make my way towards them. The both of them have become very close in the last five years. I think he considers Mia as more of his mom than his actual mother. He's become extremely protective of her, especially since she became pregnant.

Tessa was sent to prison for five years, but got out at her four-year mark for good behavior. We never heard a word from her after she was released. I'm secretly grateful. I know that it hurts T, but I feel he's better off without her in his life.

We got a surprise letter in the mail a couple years ago informing us that Shady was killed in a prison brawl. My grat.i.tude for that was not so secret. Mia feels the same. We still haven't told T about Shady, but I know it's about time that we do.

"Hey there, Sheriff. What are you smiling for?" Mia asks when I'm standing in front of them.

"Just thinking how beautiful you look and how lucky I am," I tell her and bring her wrist to my lips.

She scoffs at me and rolls her eyes. "You've finally lost it, Mac, if you think this is beautiful," she says while sweeping her hand up and down her body. "But I will admit, you are pretty lucky."

I bring her body as close to me as I can without squis.h.i.+ng her stomach.

"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, Pix. You carrying my baby makes you even more so."

"Listen to him, Mia," T says beside her. "All my friends think you're hot as s.h.i.+t. They're constantly asking to come over to the house just to see you."

I look over to T and scowl. He just shrugs as if it's no big deal. He better watch his little friends.

I look back down at Mia and ask her, "You ready?"

She plasters a huge smile on her face and nods her head quickly. "Yes," she says with excitement.

I bend down and help her slip off her sandals. I turn with an arm around her waist, and the three of us walk towards the boardwalk that leads to the beach. It took us years to get here, but I finally took my girl to see the ocean for the first time. We had to get special permission from her doctor saying it was okay to fly this late in her pregnancy. He agreed, but said he wanted her back within two weeks. We're making the most of it and staying the whole time.

As we walk across the wooden planks and the beach comes into view, I look over to Mia and see such rapture on her face. Her eyes sparkle with enjoyment, and the biggest smile I've ever seen graces her face. It makes me feel like the king of the f.u.c.king world giving this to her.

Mesmerized, she walks away from T and me, closer to the water. She looks down at the water as it rushes over her feet. She stops and throws her arms out to the sides and spins in a circle with her head thrown back, laughing, wind whipping through her hair.

I smile and look over at T. He's watching Mia with his own smile. My boy has grown into a good looking and honest young man. Because of the blood that Shady and I share, T carries some of my features. I know it's because we get them from our mom, but I like to think that it's just T taking after me.

"She's crazy," T mutters, smile still in place.

"She is that," I tell him. "But it's a good kind of crazy. To see her like this makes me one lucky man. We're both lucky, T."

"Yeah, Dad, we sure are," he says softly, already knowing how special Mia is.

We both stand there and watch as Mia takes in the beauty of the beach with such exuberant excitement. She looks so innocent and carefree standing there staring out at the ocean that I feel a pang in my chest. I used to ask myself how I got so lucky to have her. I've since stopped wondering, just accepting and cheris.h.i.+ng every minute I have with her. I've learned that those answers aren't out there. We're with who we're supposed to be with. Mia and I may have been separated for a while, but I now realize we we're always meant to end up back together, because without us together, the world wouldn't be right. Everything would be out of place and off center.

A world without Mia and me together, wouldn't be a world worth living in.

Acknowledgements

Wow, there is so many people that I want to thank. First and foremost, I want to thank G.o.d for giving me the courage and ability to keep writing. This is my second book, and while the process isn't quite so intimidating this time around, it's still very scary.

Next, I have to thank my husband and daughter for bearing with me through this endeavor. I never realized writing could be so time consuming. I want to thank you both for being patient and understanding the importance of me writing. I love you both to the moon and back!

Kim, thank you for my wonderful cover and teasers! I also want to thank you for being patient with me during my endless questions and advice. You're such a dear friend and I thank G.o.d every day that he sent me to you!

Hope, my sister and friend. You've helped me so much that there is no way I could ever repay you. I love you so much!

My wonderful and beautiful PA and best friend, Christy. I have no idea what I did before you came into my life. You are one of the most kindest and caring people I know. Thank you so much for showing an interest in my work, which lead to you and I becoming such close friends.

To my new good friend, Allison! I am so glad you PMed me that day on FB about your book. You've become very important to me and I cherish our friends.h.i.+p. Thank you so much for reading over and taking care of Reclaim Me for me. You're input and advice has helped me so much!

ANGELS!!! Oh boy, there is so much I could say here. You all have been an amazing support system. Although I may only list a few of you, the ones I don't list are no less important. I love you all! Nichole, thank you so much for posting all those wonderful JD pictures! Clayr, my Pimping Queen, you rock so d.a.m.n hard! Thank you!! Tammy, thank you so very much for all the wonderful teasers you've made me! Kaila, I have to thank you as well for the wonderful teasers! And the trailer for Shatter Me! Absolutely beautiful! Kaz, my own personal slave driver! Thank you for pus.h.i.+ng me to complete Reclaim Me! Stephanie, oh, dear Lord, woman. All I can say is 'You make me moist' ;) Cat, Heather, Jessica, Karie, Katorah, Lexy, Lilliana, Megan, Sarah A, Sarah N, Tiffany, and the rest of my Angels, you've all become family to me. Thank you so much for the support! I love you all!

I'd like to send out a special thank you to Karen McAndrews, who edited Reclaim Me for me. Thank you for helping make Reclaim Me the best that it can be!

Beta readers, you know who you are. Thank you all so much for reading over Reclaim Me. You all are the best!!

Bloggers! Thank you all so much for helping me get Reclaim Me out in the world. You make it so much easier on us authors and I am so grateful for every single one of you!

To all the others that's helped me along this journey. If I haven't mentioned your name, do not fret. I still appreciate everything that you do. No way could I have made it as far as I have without all the help I've gotten along the way. Thank you!!

Please enjoy the following recommendations...

Redesigning Fate by A.M. Wilson

Prologue.

Time is running out. She wasn't supposed to get away. Why did she f.u.c.king get away? I was too c.o.c.ky. Blinded. Marlena gained the upper hand, along with beating the h.e.l.l out of my face. Now, I have two options. Either go after her, or get the h.e.l.l out of dodge.

My foot presses deeper on the gas pedal; the car headed the only direction I know is safe: North.

Canada.

If I can cross the border before she finds her way out of those woods, I'm free. And, if I'm really lucky, she'll never find her way out. She'll die like I intended. Like she deserves. Those woods have a ten-mile radius of tree coverage. Only one way in and one way out. There's a lot of area to cover before she'd hit the gas station twenty five miles down the highway. She'll probably pa.s.s out from exhaustion and starvation and that would be that. There's only one thing left to do before I go.

Up ahead, the lights of an all-night gas station suddenly illuminate the road, and I yank the wheel to the left, driving the car off the highway and onto the concrete drive. Grabbing the thick manila envelope beside me, I scrawl the now familiar address onto the front. No return address necessary. The large blue mail bin waits beside my idling car. I roll down my window. With one last look at the envelope, one final moment of hesitation, I drop the package inside. Gripping the wheel tightly, I speed away before I hear the telltale thunk it landed safely inside. All the answers to everything are inside that envelope. I hope the intended person reads it and understands. I wasn't always this way. Things weren't always headed down this path. But a series of wrong choices brought us here. Maybe a series of right ones can bring us back.

I may have intended for her to die tonight, but if by some miracle she doesn't, I want everything spelled out for her. When I see her again, there won't be any more questions. She won't need answers. She also won't be able to deny that we aren't so different after all.

We belong together. One way or another, we will be together. It's the way fate intended for us to be.

Available June 2015 The Lost One by H.S. Strickland The Intertwined Seduction Series

Prologue.

Cade The pain.

It was unbearable.

I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my f.u.c.king chest.

I could literally feel an ache so deep within my heart.

I looked at Dakota then gazed at the picture in her hand.

I couldn't take it anymore. My legs gave out from under me, and a howl so loud and painful ripped from my throat.

Tears that I didn't know I could cry flew down my face like a waterfall.

My life had been torn apart with a few simple words.

I would never be the same man again.

I would never forget this pain.

I wouldn't come back from this.

Available July 2015 Discovered by Kim Black Book One of The Cover Series Emily It was Friday and after the workweek, I had, I needed to unwind. Diana, my best friend, had called earlier during her lunch break to suggest a girl's night out and I did not hesitate to accept. The girls needed to have some much-needed fun! In addition, it would give me a chance to pause my work woes, and I needed that, desperately!

So, the group, which consists of me, Diana and Suzie, gathered at our favorite spot 'Tanked'. It wasn't the best bar in town, but there was something about the friendly vibe that the place provided that always cheered up even the most depressed visitor. It had a house band that always killed and most importantly cheap Tequila shots, which I was in much need of tonight.

"Ok, so spill it Em. When I called you earlier you sounded kind of off, so what's up?" Diana was always in tune with my every emotion, which I loved about her, but also hated it just the same.

I sighed, knowing I could not hide anything from my friends. "They promoted that brown nosing Thomas to Sous-Chef today. I'm not surprised, but honestly, he can't even boil water, let alone cook at the standards a four star restaurant like Fargo should require."

Diana reached out and touched my hand, "You'll get there Em. They cannot waste your talent forever. I say you just continue to be the best line cook you can be, and when the opportunity arises, you'll get your chance to s.h.i.+ne and show them all just how awesome you are. Trust me."

I could not help but smile at my dear friend's unwavering optimism, but my smile was short lived, "Yeah. If I were as much of a b.u.t.t kisser as Thomas was, I bet that would happen, but I cannot do that D. If I will ever make it in this business it has to be because I'm good at what I do, not because I stuck my head up someone's b.u.t.t."

"Well then, I guess we need to get you hammered tonight," Suzie chimed in, holding her shot gla.s.s in her hand.

With that, we all cheered to sucky dead end jobs, brown nosing coworkers, and lifted our shot gla.s.ses, the first of many to come that night.

After several shots and a lot of dancing, I was forgetting about my troubles. I was determined to let my hair down and enjoy the rhythm of the music. I did not care that I wasn't the best dancer, or that I was probably too drunk to even call what I was doing on the dance floor dancing. After a few songs pa.s.sed, I decided it was time for another round with my friends; but just as I was about to leave the dance floor, a deep, sultry voice crept up behind me and whispered in my ear, "May I have this dance, cherie?" the rich, French voice drawled. I immediately spun around only to find myself staring at the most beautiful man I had ever laid eyes on. Was he talking to me?

I stood there, mouth-hanging open, as I stared into the unique, soul-penetrating pair of eyes that I had ever seen. At first glance, they were dark gray, but as the lights danced around the bar, I noticed a hint of gold and a lighter shade of gray at their center. There was something about his eyes that put me in a trance, and although I knew I should probably look away, I just could not bring myself to do so - not just yet anyway.

"Will you deny a lonely bachelor a dance with such a beautiful woman?" he asked, never breaking eye contact with me.

I must have looked bizarre, standing there with my mouth agape. It was not until I realized that my throat was dry that I finally pulled my eyes away from his stare, trying to look at anything but those beautiful, stunning, and intense eyes. His strong jaw line was indisputable underneath the five o'clock shadow that shaped his soft pink lips, which had a slight pucker to them.

I had an urge to touch them to confirm their softness, but managed to restrain myself, not wanting to look even more foolish than I already appeared, but licked my lips at the very thought, causing the man's eyes to widen.

It had been so long since a man had turned me on and yet this man stood before me now, with his muscular frame barely hidden under his dress s.h.i.+rt, managing to awaken parts of me that I had long forgotten existed with just one look.

"Sorry... I'm actually out with some friends tonight." I was not sure what that really meant since I really did not answer his question. c.r.a.p, I look stupid.

"I mean... I... uh... can't, " I murmured, trying desperately to look at anywhere but into his eyes, and failing; I felt trapped. Where were Diana and Suzie when I needed them?

He smiled, and I caught a glimpse of something in his eyes that was all too familiar. Living in California for the last three years, especially while working at the restaurant, had exposed me to an array of different men. This said, there was one particular type I found most distasteful of all: a man who thought he was exempt from rejection. It was the same overconfident look that my ex, Adam, had sported when we were dating last year. The same look that I had fallen for before finding out that he was cheating on me, and I had no doubt that this man in front of me was no different... a playboy!

As if on cue, he continued, "Surely your friends wouldn't mind if you chose to dance just one song with me."

After all that I had gone through with Adam, I felt my blood begin to boil. Determined to project an outward calm I did not feel and keeping my expression devoid of any emotion, I replied with a raised brow, "And what would make you think I would want to dance with you?" Without waiting for a response and keeping my head held high, I turned and walked away from him, adding a s.e.xy little flick of my hair and an extra sway to my hips.

"That should teach him..." I muttered to myself, feeling satisfied that I had finally told his type where to go. Though he was not Adam, it somehow felt like I was berating him too which felt great!

I found my friends at the table staring at me when I walked up and took a seat.

"What?"

"Did you just turn down that total hottie? Tell me you didn't... Em, please say it isn't so," Suzie said as she stared at the dark, s.e.xy, creature.

"I know his type and I ain't interested, remember Adam?" I said as I s.n.a.t.c.hed Diana's shot gla.s.s from her hand, emptying the contents with one gulp, ignoring her obviously annoyed face. "I don't need another smooth talking s.e.x symbol with the inability of keeping his p.e.n.i.s in check, who thinks that he is G.o.d's gift to women. I'm thankful to Diana for saving me from any further embarra.s.sment and I have no intention of going down that road again, thank you very much!" I continued as I gave Diana a grateful smile.

I was just starting to get over the humiliation I felt when I discovered that Adam was sleeping with a few of the other interning chefs at Tajh. Diana had come over to my house, her face ghostly pale and in tears, telling me how she went by Tajh looking for me and found him and two other co-workers getting it on in the kitchen. She told me how she cursed him out and stormed off, coming directly to my place to tell me.

"I'm so sorry Em, I hate that he did this to you, but I'm just glad that we found out when we did," I remembered her saying to me, as I cried on her shoulder until I could not cry anymore.

I was beyond sick after that and cried for months. Of course, he tried to deny it when I confronted him, but I was having none of it. It was over! It was the greatest pain I had ever felt, one that I would not wish on my worst enemy, even that brown-noser Thomas. That ordeal caused me to quit my interns.h.i.+p at Tajh and apply to Farjo just a little over a year ago.