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  She dives in, her soft little lips and obedient tongue working along my neck as she purrs in pleasure. “Forget that flight, I already have.”

  As pleased as I am to have this effect on her, I can’t let her let him take further advantage. Sighing out my pained strength, I gently pull her away, cupping her flushed cheeks to force eye contact. And nearly change my mind. She’s stunning — eyes flared and glittered with a wild lust, lips swollen, pulse racing in her slender neck — how I form words, I’ll never know. “Lily, our whirlwind has only just begun, and I swear to you, very soon, I will shower you in the things of your wildest dreams. But for now, you need to get back home and see to what is left of what’s rightfully yours. Your house, belongings, don’t let him rob you even more, beautiful.”

  “It’s just a house…” She shrugs. “Plenty more where it came from. And any belongings I truly cherish, I put in storage a long time ago; call it foresight. He can do whatever he wants with… whatever he wants; I honestly don’t care. I’m not going to fight over nothing.”

  She has no idea, but she just sealed her fate. By showing me, without prompt or rehearsal, her core, inherent goodness, soul, something inside me that I knew not existed, just awoke for the first time. Lily is mine. Made to bring me to life. I want her light shining on me forever.

  Mine.

  I found her. Without looking.

  “I thought you loved that house? When you spoke of it, you did so with such enthusiasm and detail.”

  A smile to rival all that would be called beautiful fills her face. “You were listening?”

  I slowly nod. “To every word you’ve said since the first one.”

  “Me too. To you, I mean.” She giggles, shy and soft. “So I heard your warning; you don’t do commitment, marriage, or anything messy. At first, that was enough to scare me off, but not anymore. I’m not going home, and I am ready for one of those rendezvous you promised.”

  “You’re not planning on going home right now, or ever?”

  “Never,” she pops with a laugh of true freedom. “Has to be sold to be split, right? Let Ethan have the estate sale and do the cleaning if he wants to turn it fast. I’m sure he’s already got some shady plan in the works to finagle the amount of money I’ll see from it anyway.”

  I smash the button, barking as the petition lowers, and Lily scrambles off my lap, righting her appearance. “Maxwell, change of plans, stop the car.”

  “The car’s been stopped, for quite some time, sir.” He motions to the windshield, and I see we’re indeed parked at the airport.

  “Fine. That’ll be all for now, Maxwell.” I raise the screen once more and turn to Lily. “You’re sure about this?”

  “Positive.”

  “Very well. Excuse me for one minute, I need to make a call.” I dial, waiting for him to answer while Lily looks on curiously. “It’s me. Turns out the dove didn’t care for that cage, so move on to phase two,” I order and hang up, returning my focus to Lily. “Now then, tell m-”

  “No,” she drawls, eyes mere slits of suspicious green, “now you tell me what that call was about.”

  “Nothing you need to worry yourself over, beautiful.”

  “Trevor, are you, oh my God,” her eyes fly wide and she leans in, checking over each shoulder before hissing in a whisper, “are you in the mob?”

  A playful side of myself, that again, didn’t exist before Lily, leans toward her and mimics her whisper. “If I was, you’d need to be more specific on which mob you’re referring to, since it’s my impression there are several, in several different countries, but as is, you’re good, because no, I am not in any mob, darling girl.”

  “Then why are you whispering?”

  “Because you were.”

  She swats at me, rolling her eyes as she sits up straight again. “I’m not stupid, Trevor. I know that call was about me, the dove, my house, the cage. What were you planning, and more importantly, what’s phase two?”

  I laugh, because my precious angel is baring a crack. Though scowling her best, and sincerely abhorred by the thought of anything too sinister, the faintest trace of anticipation leaked into her last question. Perhaps I’m not totally unworthy of her after all.

  “You’ve already learned to crack my codes.” I tsk. “How will I manage to keep you in surprises? Yes, you are my dove, and I thought you loved your old home and would surely want to keep it, so I was going to ensure that happened.”

  “But the judge said-”

  “The judge said nothing to me.”

  “True.” She ponders, then gasps, “What is phase two, Trevor? The fact they’re named in phases is starting to scare me. How many phases are there? Oh, God, wh-”

  I stop her panic by taking her hand and kissing its palm. “Lily, I don’t want you to worry yourself, over this, or anything. I thought you wanted your house, I was going to see that you had it. I don’t think you want him maimed, or worse, so clear your head of such crazy concerns. But know, Ethan will reap all that he sowed. Men like Ethan are very simplistic creatures, made up of very few, predictable wants, needs, and values. I’ve merely assured that the miniscule tower of his foundation will soon crumble.”

  “I have no idea what you really just said.”

  “That’s not a bad thing.” I laugh. “Now, enough about that which doesn’t matter. Tell me things that do; such as, if you have no plans of returning to what was your home, where are you headed? Suppose I was to leave you here, at the airport, which I have absolutely no intentions of doing, where would you go?”

  “I don’t know, hadn’t thought that far ahead. Still haven’t.” She turns her head to gaze out of the window, searching for everything I can’t wait to give her.

  I slide closer, brushing her hair aside to kiss the delicate skin where her neck and shoulder meet. “Hot or cold?”

  “Hmm?” she hums in question, tilting her head to give me more of her.

  “Would you prefer to go someplace where it’s hot or cold?”

  “Which would you pick?”

  I bite her neck and wrap my arms around her in teachable firmness. “I asked what you would prefer, Lily. Not because I want you to cater to me, but because I want to know the answer. Tell me what Lily wants.”

  “Cold. A fire, cocoa, snuggly blankets, and movies. Oh, and snow. I’d love to see snow.”

  “Then snow you shall see.”

  “Trevor?”

  “Yes?”

  “I know what this is. And I swear, I’m going to try my hardest not to get attached, I really am, but…”

  “What did I say about worrying?”

  Two weeks later

  Every day I wait for the other shoe to drop, and every day turns into another… as wonderful and unbelievable as the one before. I can’t take it anymore, he’s killing me, drawing me in deeper and deeper, building me up to an ending, that with each moment spent together, will be harder to survive.

  I’ve spent the last two weeks in a dream, the best dream, from which I never want to wake. Just Trevor and I, tucked away in this huge cabin in the mountains, alone with our long talks and love making. Yes, love making. I am madly, hopelessly in love with Trevor.

  Dammit!

  That wasn’t part of the deal. I knew it. Swore myself against it. And yet, couldn’t help it. Never stood a chance. He’s… he’s everything. Brilliant, witty, sensitive, savage, kind, demanding, disciplined, wild, and… able to make my body positively sing.

  “Anything short of the meaning of life and you’re thinking too much,” Trevor taunts, sneaking up behind me, arms curling around my waist. “What’s got my dove so perplexed?”

  “Nothing,” I fib, wilting against him. “Are you hungry? I was about to make myself a sandwich.”

  “I could eat,” he murmurs, sliding a hand down between my legs. An involuntary shiver runs through me, as always, and he hums, deep, pleased, and knowing, as always. “Your body never lies to me, Lily, so why do you even bother trying? ‘Nothing’ means
something; tell me.”

  “I was just, I don’t know… I guess I was just thinking what we’re still doing here.”

  “Cabin fever? We could go out tonight; there is a town below us, believe it or not. Dinner, dancing, anything you want.”

  “No, that’s not what I meant.”

  “Ah, let me guess. You’re ready for somewhere warm now? Name it, beautiful, I’ll have us there tomorrow. The beach, an island, whatever your heart desires.”

  I whirl around, blurting out, “You! I want you, Trevor. All of you, anywhere, all the time. I know, I said I understood, could handle a ‘when you have the time’ sort of thing and you’ve already given me a lot more time than I expected, but…”

  He cups my cheeks and stares into my eyes. “But what, Lily?”

  “I don’t need to be whisked away to expensive, exotic places. I don’t need our time together to be extravagant adventures. I only need, want, you. If you’re there, an average apartment would seem like a castle. I fell, Trevor. I didn’t mean to, but, I did. I’m in love with you, Trevor Kincade. So in love with you.”

  “Finally,” he growls, tossing me over his shoulder and swatting me on the butt. “I’m only a patient man for you, beautiful, and you were pushing it.”

  “What? And where are you hauling me? Put me down, you crazy brute!”

  He does, put me down, once we’re in the bedroom, laying me softly on the bed. “Don’t. Move.” He snarls, though smiling as big as I’ve seen, and goes to the dresser, rummaging through the top drawer, then returning to join me on the bed. He climbs over the top of me, weight on his forearms, and stares down into my eyes with an intensity that borders on animalistic. “Say it again,” he growls.

  “I love you, Trevor.”

  “Again,” he snaps, as if possessed, rising up on his knees to strip me naked in a frenzied storm of yanks, tugs and rips… shedding his own clothes even faster.

  We’ve had sex countless times in the last few weeks, but something, everything, tells me, this time will be different. Different how, I’m not quite sure, but the man in front of me now is not the Trevor Kincade I know. His chest is heaving up and down, in and out, with the deep audible breaths he seems to have to struggle to take. His eyes are locked on mine, yet I don’t think they see me, glazed with a delirious distance. And he’s flexing his hands into fists, over and over, a force inside him challenging his control.

  And I feel not an ounce of fear or worry, only pure adrenaline, anticipation, and the passion thundering off him. “I love you, Trevor. Rich, poor, on an adventure, or on my death bed. Together, apart, physically, mentally, emotionally, cold or hot, I. Love. You.”

  He howls, roars, maybe it’s his battle cry, announcing he’s finally won, and covers me with his body, hard and shaking, his kisses, soft and infatuated, and his words, concrete. “I love you too, mine. Mine,” he repeats, grunts, as he enters me fully with one smooth thrust of claim. “My dove, my Lily, my wife.”

  Oh yeah, he’s definitely lost on some endorphin high… because he doesn’t believe in marriage. I don’t correct him though; he’s tilting my hips up, thrusting maniacally, hitting my non-mythical G-spot every time, so, no, not the time for semantics.

  “You. Only you. Always you. Say it, Lily, again.”

  “I’m yours, Trevor, and you’re mine. Always.”

  He pushes my knees to my ears and falls forward, taking my mouth in a punishing kiss as I explode around his long, thick cock, body wracked with electricity… but he keeps plunging, harder even, not pulling out. I shove at his chest, garble into his mouth, and as he starts to moan, unloading inside me with hot bursts, he looks right at me and winks.

  Once he’s sated, for the moment anyway, he leans back and grins. “I love you, Lily Isabelle Kincade, and you love me too. I believe it.”

  “You… you, uh, you came in me.”

  “I did.”

  “You said ‘wife.’”

  “I did.”

  “You don’t believe in marriage.”

  “I don’t? Then what is that on your hand?”

  No way, he’s magical, but he’s not a magician. I lift my left hand, and… “How did you do that?” I whisper, awestruck by the huge, flawless diamond on my finger.

  “The same way you snuck up on me, my miracle. Marry me; because if I believe in even one single thing, it’s us.”

  4 years later

  “Lily, we’re going to be late. You look beautiful, I’m sure of it, so come along, my dove.”

  “I look beautiful, Daddy?” My angel pulls on my jacket. “Like a dove?”

  “Gorgeous.” I laugh, picking my daughter up and kissing her cherub cheek. “You, Claire, are Daddy’s bluebird. Remember?”

  She bobs her precious head and giggles, then turns as her mama comes down the stairs. “I’m Daddy’s bluebird,” she brags.

  “Yes you are, baby.” Lily laughs. “Are you going to dance across that stage like a bird tonight?”

  “Yep! For you and Daddy! And Grandma. And Grandpa. And everybody!”

  I look at my wife, preciously round with our next little girl, then to my Claire, and for the hundredth time today, thank the Lord for first class… and flight delays.

  To all of you who make this dream of mine possible, THANK YOU!

  And if I’m living right, you know who you are and how much I appreciate you! If not, you have my permission to come kick some manners into my ass.

  XO

  S.E. Hall

  S.E. Hall is the NYTimes & USA Today bestselling author of the Evolve Series, the Full Circle Series, a spinoff from the Evolve Series, and standalone contemporary romances Pretty Instinct, Pretty Remedy and Unstable.

  S.E., which stands for Stephanie Elaine, resides in Arkansas with her husband of 21 years and three amazing daughters of the home. She is also blessed with an older, married daughter, and son-in-law, who graced her with three beautiful grandchildren. And last, but far from least, is Roscoe—her precious lil’ lamb of a dog and best friend in the entire world… who can always be found right by her side.

  When not watching her baby girl rule the mound of fastpitch softball or one of her songbird’s choir concerts, S.E. Hall can be found… in her garage. Oh, and she also enjoys reading, writing, gabbing on the phone and online shopping… in her garage.

  You can stay connected with S.E. Hall in several ways:

  BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/s-e-hall

  Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/7E-nP

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/S.E.HallAuthorEmerge

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  Instagram: https://instagram.com/Sehall_author/

  Books by S.E. Hall (all books can be found on Amazon; those with a * indicate additional availability in audio format)

  Standalone

  *Unstable: books2read.com/u/mdN9dd

  Full Circle Series

  Embody: books2read.com/u/bxqkQe

  Elusive:http://a.co/fdNpLO9

  Exclusive: books2read.com/u/4jD7eY

  Evolve Series

  *Emerge: books2read.com/u/bOaqyo

  *Embrace: books2read.com/u/m0x9lM

  *Entangled: books2read.com/u/mvjVW2

  *Entice: books2read.com/u/ml5kAW

  Sawyer Beckett's Baby Mama Drama Guide For Dummies: books2read.com/u/478qQg

  *Endure: books2read.com/u/3J0qpX

  Sawyer Beckett's Guide for Tools Looking to Date My Daughter: books2read.com/u/4jwOP5

  Entwined: books2read.com/u/boYk8a

  A Crew Christmas: books2read.com/u/3Ro76x

  Finally Found Novels

  *Pretty Instinct: books2read.com/u/4jw7Xk

  Pretty Remedy: books2read.com/u/mgr6pX

  Co-written with Hilary Storm

  Quarterback Sack: books2read.com/u/3nOk25

  Pick Your Poison: books2re
ad.com/u/bzakZn

  Co-written with Angela Graham

  Stirred Up: books2read.com/u/mgrejR

  Packaged: books2read.com/u/bPJdyz

  Handled: books2read.com/u/4EDvlg

  Matched: books2read.com/u/m2o1Y7

  One Naughty Night: books2read.com/u/4DoqKk

  Filthy Foreign Exchange: books2read.com/u/bpWkwk

  Filthy Foreign Exchange 2: books2read.com/u/b5MKXR

  Co-written with Ashley Suzanne

  Accidentally On Purpose: books2read.com/u/3L9qy5

  Co-written with Erin Noelle

  Conspire: books2read.com/u/4Awlpd

  Unstable

  by S.E. Hall

  Copyright © 2016 S.E. HALL

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Prologue

  “What in the name of crazy ass females are you doing?”

  “I’d tell you, but I’m not really helping you if I just give you the answer, so let’s try something new, dumbass.” I mumble the last word under my breath, ‘cause even though it’s true, Mama would beat my butt for saying it to him. “There’s a big tree,” I point, just in case he somehow missed it. “And I have a ladder, a thick rope, and a tire. Now, take your time. I know it’s a tricky one…then lemme’ hear any guesses you have. I’ll even tell you if you’re hot or cold.”