All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, without the publisher’s express written permission. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any means without permission.
This is an original work of fiction. No AI was used in its creation.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction; the names, characters, and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
PSA, while this book features elements of kink and BDSM, it is NOT a how-to manual. This is a work of erotic fiction, and everything written here should be treated as such. Always do your research and ALWAYS practice in a SAFE, SANE, and CONSENSUAL manner.
All brand names and products used in this book and its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks, and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and text are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.
This story is a high-heat, M/F, second chance, married couple romance with a stern, cinnamon roll, Dom, who will do everything and anything for his fiercely independent wife. If that's all you need to know, skip on ahead. If you need more details, please refer to the list of content and tropes below. Happy Reading!
This book is written in third person with dual POV. There is an Age Gap (FMC is 30, MMC is 40). Note: The setting of the real-life war in Ukraine plays a part in this fictional story. Endometriosis and fertility issues for the FMC. Detailed discussion of pregnancy loss by a secondary character (Chp.10). Surrogacy. Trypanophobia – the MMC has a fear of needles. Panic attack. There is a brief mention of domestic violence that happened to a secondary character off-page. Adult language and situations. Explicit sexual scenes between consenting adults, including elements of BDSM and Kink (there's a bit of knife play). Miscommunication (resolved early on). Surprise Pregnancy. Tattooed and pierced FMC. My Wife/My Husband vibes. Good girl praise. You're it for me/It's always been you vibes. He spoils her relentlessly. A little bit of degradation. Hand necklace. He braids her hair. Crawl to me vibes. A Beyonce Partition scene. Found family. Pop culture references. Guaranteed HEA.
CHAPTER ONE
Why do they call these things baby showers?
There are no babies or showers, just a bunch of adults eating tiny sandwiches off tiny plates, standing around talking to each other about their jobs and families.
Jasper sighed and swallowed a mouthful of the scotch Jonathan handed him when he first arrived. As the majority owner of an exclusive BDSM club, the conversation around ‘what do you do for a living?’ usually turned awkward fast.
Yet hiding in what used to be his parent’s kitchen conjured memories Jasper didn’t want. It wasn’t the death of their parents he dwelled on. No, his mind replayed the first time he met his wife. Joanna’s one attempt at matchmaking.
“Jas? I’m home, and I brought a friend.”
Jasper dropped the financials he was reviewing and pushed away from his desk. Did Joanna bring a boyfriend home for Christmas?
Jasper strode down the hall toward the kitchen. He stopped mid-step when he heard the sweetest voice speak to his sister in an urgent whisper.
“What are you doing? I’m sure your brother doesn’t want an unexpected holiday guest. I’ll head to my mom’s place. She left the fridge stocked, and we can do Christmas next week after she returns from taking care of my Grams in Florida.”
“I don’t care how well stocked your mom left the fridge. You’re not spending Christmas alone, Jess.”
Jess…. Jasper rolled the name over his tongue, finding its irony beginning with a J fitting and amusing. He needed to know what the owner of such a sweet and sultry voice looked like.
Jasper rounded the corner with all the confidence he possessed. “No one should spend Christmas alone….” His words trailed off the moment his gaze met hers.
Joanna squealed and hugged the taller woman. “I told you Jasper wouldn’t mind.” Joanna turned toward him, a knowing smirk on her face. “Oh, Jas?”
Jasper had the damndest time dragging his gaze away from Joanna’s guest. When he did, she said, “This is my dormmate, Jessica Harris. Jess, this is my brother Jasper Jones.”
Jasper sipped his drink and shut the door on those memories. He’d be anywhere else if the guest of honor wasn’t his sister, her husband Jonathan, and their daughter Sara-Jane.
Well, not anywhere.
Jasper would be at the club, buried in work, or making sure those around him were happy and loved while pretending the missing piece of his heart didn’t matter.
“There you are. Though I’m not surprised to find you hiding in here.”
Busted.
After all, Joanna knew him better than anyone else.
“I’m not hiding,” he muttered behind his glass, then finished his drink.
“Then what do you call lurking in the shadows of the kitchen while everyone else is out there?” Joanna asked with her hands on her hips. She’s such a little spitfire.
“Taste testing,” he said, snagging a mini quiche off a serving tray. “Dang. Those are good.”
Joanna pulled him aside, not allowing him to grab another. Of course, she’s right. He is doing his best to avoid everyone, but…. “Please don’t make me play the poop game,” Jasper blurted.
Joanna stared at him with a blank expression. Then bent over and snorted with laughter. “Oh, my god, I can’t,” she gasped, clutching her stomach.
When she calmed enough to speak more than wheeze, she said, “You’re hiding because of a game to guess what melted chocolate bar they smeared in a diaper? And here I assumed you’re hiding to avoid telling my neighbor, Mrs. Bradbury, about your kinky fuckery club.”
Jasper coughed. “Language, Joanna,” he scolded like she was a wayward teen and not a woman of almost thirty. “But you may be onto something.” He conceded.
“No one cares, and I always get a kick out of you telling new people.”
“Figures. You’d find shocking someone with delicate sensibilities into speechlessness amusing.”
Joanna dropped her voice to a conspiring whine. “She won’t stop talking. I want her at a loss for words, at least for one minute. Please? It’ll be fun for me.” Joanna’s expression grew wicked. “Besides, we aren’t playing the poop game. We have something much more fun. It’s kind of up your alley and expertise.”
“What baby shower game can I possibly be an expert on?” Joanna went to the covered easel near the dining table and flipped it up, revealing dozens of women’s faces with similar expressions. Jasper looked between her and the easel. “I don’t get it.”
Joanna sighed over the indignity of having to spell it out for him. “Is it Labor, or is it Porn?” she asked, waving her hand beneath the photos like she’s Vanna-fucking-White flipping a letter on the Wheel. “Get it?”
“Oh, I get it, and you won’t need me to shock Mrs. Bradbury into silence when this will do a fine job of getting her to faint on your living room floor. You’re incorrigible, sister mine,” Jasper said, using the endearment he called her since she was a rambunctious toddler.
“You love it, brother mine,” Joanna said, bumping his shoulder with hers. With her petite frame, it’s more like she bumped his elbow.
Joanna topped out at five-five in heels. Jasper didn’t know where she came from in their gene pool. His mother reached almost six feet, his father a couple inches more, and it surprised no one when Jasper grew to six-four while Joanna became their petite enigma.
“The hospital sent a new photo,” Joanna said, shifting the subject to why they’d all gathered for this party.
“Sweet. Give Uncle Jasper a hit of his precious angel.” His sister shared each new photo she received of Sara-Jane with him, and he treasured them like prized gifts. Joanna pulled up the album on her phone and flipped it around for him.
“Isn’t she beautiful? I can’t believe she’s two weeks old already.”
Jasper stared at the picture of his niece. Her downy hair looked strawberry blonde, a few shades lighter than his and Joanna’s, while her pouty mouth was an exact copy of his sister’s. “Janie’s perfect.”
Joanna smacked him, and Jasper hissed, rubbing his arm. “Jasper Jones, don’t you dare call Sara-Jane, Janie. The J names stop with us.”
“But it’s tradition, and look at her sweet face, she looks like a Janie.”
“It’s Sara-Jane. It honors the tradition in a new way, and kids won’t make fun of her when she has to present her family tree at school, damn it.”
Jasper gazed at the picture a little longer, then handed Joanna her phone. “She can be Sara or Sara-Jane at school. To Uncle Jasper, she’s Janie.”
“Ugh. After you and Jessica got together, I swore I’d never end up with a man whose name started with a J, and the reason I went on a date with Jon in the first place is that he told me his name was Tom, and you assholes, backed him up.”
Joanna pursed her lips. “Lucky for my sweet husband, by the time I learned the truth, I’d fallen head-over-heels in love with the guy and forgave him after some proper penance.”
Jasper chuckled, ignoring the sharp pain at the mention of Jessica’s name. “You know he’s perfect for you. It didn’t matter his name.”
Jonathan was part of Jasper’s military squad, and on what turned out to be their last mission, while successful, several didn’t escape unscathed. Jon suffered burns and now carried the scars from their enemy’s counterattack.
It took many months of rehabilitation and therapy to recover. Afterward, Jon joined Elite Security, the firm Xander Ward, another team member, created the security firm where Jon put his intelligence-gathering skills to good use.
Jonathan got a five percent stake in the club like the rest of their team. He remained a silent partner, which suited Jasper, never needing to deal with an awkward scenario of his brother-in-law bringing his sister to the club.
“You and your matchmaking. You’re lucky you’re damn good at it,” Joanna said, bringing him back to the present.
“For others, sure.” He winced at the slip. Under normal circumstances, Jasper could keep things locked down. This time, he opened the door for Joanna to pursue the subject.
“Listen, Jasper. Jess is-”
Jasper held up a hand, stopping his sister from saying anything else. “We’re not discussing Jessica.”
Joanna stared at him like she did as a teen despite their twelve-year age difference. Superior and all-knowing. “Three years have gone by.”
Three and a half.
“Don’t you want to be happy?”
“I am happy.”
“You can’t lie to me, Jasper. And I’m disappointed you’d even try.”
“I’m not lying. I picked up the pieces, and I have a great life. Work, friends, you, Jonathan, and little Janie to spoil. It’s all quite fulfilling. I promise I’m good.”
He heard the hollowness in his voice, and while everything he said rang true, his heart remained frozen in time.
“If I’d known, this is how it’d turn out for the two of you when I introduced you-”
“No, Jo. Don’t say it. Jess is it for me. Whether I got twenty minutes or a lifetime…and while I preferred the lifetime, I’ll never regret meeting her.”
“Okay, I’ll drop it.” Her tone indicated she wouldn’t for long. Then Joanna’s demeanor shifted, and she bit her bottom lip.
Her gaze traveled over everyone there to celebrate her daughter and caught her husband’s eye. Jon gave her a smile filled with love and devotion, but when she turned back to Jasper, worry filled her expression.
“Things are escalating over there, and I’m helpless, tied up in bureaucratic limbo. After everything we’ve gone through to have our daughter, I’m afraid we’re going to lose her, too.” Joanna’s voice cracked with emotion.
Jasper’s courageous sister, who’d already suffered such tremendous loss, blinked back tears while he pulled her into a hug. He rubbed soothing circles on her back and held her tight. “I know. I’m ready to leave and get her when you have the paperwork. Hell. I’ll get her out of there even if you don’t.”
Joanna and Jonathan suffered multiple losses until they decided on surrogacy to have a family. They went through a foreign agency, and their daughter was born amid the growing unrest in Ukraine.
“I check the status every day. All the authorities will say is they’re working on it. The hospital she’s in is safe at the moment, but….”
Yeah, he knew better than most. In rising conflicts, things can change in a heartbeat. Jasper clasped Joanna’s hand in his. “You have my word, Jo. If things escalate, I will get Janie to you safe and sound, no matter what.” In the meantime, he’d pull whatever strings he possessed to speed up the process.
Comentarios