Bound By Love

  Bound By Love

  BoundByLove

  Pink Petal Books

  Pink Petal Books, an imprint of Jupiter Gardens Press, publishes romance novels where the relationship is primary. It doesn’t matter if you want to read super erotic or sweet inspirational books. Pink Petal Books believes that love is a beautiful thing, no matter what form it takes . For more information about Pink Petal Books visit http://www.pinkpetalbooks.com/.

  Additional Titles by the Author

  Something More

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

  BOUND BY LOVE

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Copyright © SCARLETT JONSTONE

  Cover Art © 2010 by StonyHill Productions

  Edited by MARY K. WILSON

  Electronic Publication Date: JUNE 2010

  This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Jupiter Gardens Press, Jupiter Gardens , LLC., PO Box 191 , Grimes, IA 50111

  For more information to learn to more about this, or any other author’s work, please visit http://www.pinkpetalbooks.com/

  This June, Pink Petal Books brings you the weddings that happened after the stories ended. We're offering free stories for your enjoyment.

  Available now at Pink Petal Books

  http://www.pinkpetalbooks.com

  And once you've read the weddings, don't forget to read the romances that led up to them!

  Bound By Love

  Scarlett Jonstone

  PPB

  Bound By Love

  Chapter One

  Every weekend since Will and I had declared our love for each other, we spent looking at houses. Some were too small. Others we couldn’t afford. None had that something extra that said we could spend the rest of our lives in there. I soon grew to hate the weekends — the joy and novelty having long worn off — but Will was certain that the perfect house was out there just waiting for us to find it.

  I sure hoped he was right and that we would find it soon.

  This particular house showed some promise, but I refused to get my hopes up. We walked into the living room. Several large windows allowed light to fill the room, giving it a cheery appearance. Before I could admire the view, the realtor gushed, “Come with me into the kitchen. It’s just beautiful. It even has a garbage disposal!”

  Will and I followed her. Her blond curls bounced as she bounded into the room. Her dark suit was a handsome outfit, one that I wouldn’t mind owning. I turned my thoughts from clothes and admired the kitchen. For once, the realtor wasn’t exaggerating. The ranch-styled kitchen had a gorgeous hardwood floor against which my heels clacked. Spacious and elegant, this was by far the nicest kitchen we had seen yet.

  The realtor opened a few of the dark wooden cabinets and was prattling on about more features when Will leaned over and whispered, “What do you think of this house?”

  I smiled at him. “It’s really nice, but do we really need three bedrooms and two baths?”

  He pouted. “So you don’t want it?”

  I poked his side. “I didn’t say that. I love the brick fireplace and the two covered porches.”

  “I like the attached garage.”

  “To protect your old jalopy?” I teased with a wink. Will wrinkled his nose as I added, “And I’ve always thought brick houses were nice.”

  The realtor finally noticed we weren’t paying attention to her. “Any questions?” she asked brightly.

  Will walked over to her. “Can we have some time to talk? A little privacy?”

  “Sure. I’ll just wait outside. The backyard is wonderful, a great place for little ones to run around in—”

  Will grabbed her arm and hurried her through the back door. He closed it and then made a grand show of locking it. “My God, that woman is overbearing.”

  I giggled. “You can say that again.” I wandered from the kitchen and into the living room. All of the rooms in the house were gigantic but seemed even larger due to the lack of furniture. The selling family had already moved into their new home and had even dropped the price of this house in order to move it more quickly.

  I headed for the largest bedroom, and Will trailed behind me. I could imagine my bed under the north window along with my bureau and Will’s next to it. Picturing my furniture, and Will’s, was something I hadn’t done in any of the previous five or six houses we had seen. And that’s when I realized this house was the one for us.

  Us. The thought of us, the thrill, the novelty, hadn’t worn off despite our dating for over two months now. I shivered with delight and stole a glance at Will. He was looking out one window, his large hands on the window sill, his back slightly hunched over, allowing his muscles to be visible beneath the buttoned-down shirt he wore. I walked over and wrapped my arms around him. “Well?” I asked. The word nearly caught in my throat.

  Will covered my hands with his. Then he straightened, turned around within my arms, and leaned down to kiss my forehead. “I want it.”

  The look in his eye as well as the sudden bulge in his tight pants told me that he desired something else entirely. I kissed my fingertip and pressed it on his lips. “Not now, dear,” I whispered seductively, wrapping my body closer toward his.

  Will groaned and covered my mouth with his. Our tongues fought as we gave into the passion of our love. My thighs quickly became damp, and I moaned. When he started to fumble with my shirt, I pulled away. “I want it too,” I grinned.

  He fixed himself and sighed. “Well, at least that’s settled,” he muttered.

  I stepped around him to admire the view. Across the street was a park. Several young children ran around, chasing each other. One fell down and started to cry until his mother came over and kissed his skinned knee. Then the child jumped up and resumed playing, his pain seemingly forgotten.

  With a start, I realized Will was no longer standing beside me. I whirled around and opened my mouth to call him when my heart practically stopped. In the middle of the room, Will balanced on one knee, a small jewelry box in his outstretched hand.

  My knees grew weak, but I somehow managed to walk a few steps closer toward him. Both of my hands covered my mouth.

  “Betty Lewis, I love you. I respect you, and I want to honor you. Always. So I only think it’s proper that we marry before we move into together.”

  “We practically live together now,” I said, hiding behind my teasing. I loved Will and knew that he loved me. But throughout our house hunting, I hadn’t thought much about the future, our future together. Maybe because none of the houses had been right for us. The permanence of marriage didn’t frighten me. Instead I trembled with delighted happiness. “And if you only want to marry me because it’s proper—”

  Will’s smile lit up his entire face and his normally dark eyes lightened to a soft brown shade. “There’s nothing proper about me, and you already know that. It’s one of the things you love most about me.”

  “True.” I took a few more steps until I was directly in front of him.

  “Betty, I want to marry you because you mean so much to me. You make me a better person, a stronger man. I like who I
am when I’m around you. I need you. And I love you.”

  I knelt before him. “I do love you, Will Walker.” I gently caressed his cheeks and drew his head forward for a sweet kiss.

  “Then Betty Lewis, will you marry me?” He opened the ring box to reveal a modest diamond ring.

  “Yes!”

  Somehow he managed to slide the ring onto my shaking finger and kissed my eyes, cheeks, lips, and neck. Before things could get much further, I suggested, “Let’s get out of here.”

  “What about the realtor?” Will asked. He nibbled on my neck.

  Moaning, I couldn’t concentrate, and a minute more of kissing and licking passed before I said, “We’ll tell her that we’ll call in the morning. Now let’s go!”

  I stood up and grabbed his hand. He was much too strong for me to pull him up so I didn’t even bother to try. The light reflecting off my diamond caught my eye, and I stared at it, transfixed by its beauty and its symbolism. A never-ending circle. With this diamond and gold ring, and soon another gold one, Will and I would be bound by love for the rest of our lives. One day in the near future, I would become Mrs. Betty Walker.

  Will stood up and, still holding my hand, raced back to the kitchen. He opened the back door. “We’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “But you haven’t seen the backyard—”

  He slammed the door shut, and we ran toward the car. Will opened our car’s back door for me, and I climbed in with him right behind me. It seemed like an eternity before the real estate agent finally locked up the house and drove away- time that I spent rubbing Will on the outside of his pants and Will spent with his hand up my shirt.

  “She gone?” Will asked, kissing my neck.

  “Yes,” I moaned.

  He removed my shirt and started to unbutton his.

  “Will!” I covered my bare breasts with my hands and glanced around. All of the children had left with their parents as twilight descended rapidly. Plus no one was close enough to see into his car anyhow. The thrill of the possibility of discovery made me even hotter, and I shimmied out of my skirt and underwear. The desire to share my body with Will, after we had declared our love for each other and our desire to spend the rest of our lives together, controlled me as I helped him unbuckle his pants and remove his lower clothing.

  He gently laid me down on the backseat and covered my body with his. I couldn’t keep my hands off him, his strong back, his tight muscular chest, his nipples. More than anything, I wanted him, the closeness, the intimacy that comes from the complete sharing of two bodies made one. He touched me everywhere, thrilling me, invoking pleasure where his hands or lips or tongue caressed me. He pinched my nipples until they hardened, then he sucked and kissed them.

  I toyed with his and licked them. Completely damp and ready for him, I thrust my hips upward and rocked against his hardness. “I want you in me,” I gasped. I want you. I want to show you how much I love you.

  Will eased himself into me, and I sighed as he filled me. My petite frame easily fit into the backseat of the car, but Will was much taller and bigger. With his first thrust, he hit his head onto the window. He shimmied us down slightly and tried again. Same result. Finally he just arched his back, his head high near the ceiling.

  I grabbed his firm butt and timed my thrusts in rhythm with his. The car grew stifling hot, and steam covered the windows. My legs soon became glued to the backseat, making it harder to have any leverage. Sweat formed, beading on our foreheads and coating our now slick bodies. Our kisses became tangy from the salt. Deep. Deeper. Fast. Faster. Hard. Harder. We climaxed a few seconds apart.

  Time resumed its normal pace after the frantic nature of our love-making, and our breathing slowed.

  “God, I love you.” Will kissed my forehead as we sat up.

  “And I you.” I licked his earlobe. He shivered. Reaching between his legs, I picked up his clothes from the car’s floor and handed them to him. We lazily got dressed. “You know, that makes up for something.”

  “For what?” Will raised an eyebrow.

  “A certain backseat incident in the drive-in.”

  He chuckled. “Well that’s good. Would have hated for that to be your only backseat experience.” He kissed my hand. “You wore me out. I’m exhausted now.”

  “Me too.”

  After a few more kisses, we climbed into the front seat and drove away from the house we planned to buy.

  Bound By Love

  Chapter Two

  My feet hardly touched the sidewalk as I headed into the apartment that Helen, my best friend and co-worker, and I shared. I threw the door open and burst inside, ready to share my wonderful news, but the look of misery and sadness on Helen’s face stopped me. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  Helen glanced up from the magazine resting on her lap. Her blue eyes were lined with redness and tears stained her cheeks. “George and I got in a fight.”

  I sat down beside her on the couch and wrapped my arms around her. “It’s okay.” I gently stroked her wild red curls.

  She sniffed and struggled not to cry. “We were talking about money and finances, and I mentioned how I wished I made more than I did. I forgot who I was talking to! I don’t think of him as my boss when we’re out on dates.”

  I reached into my purse and handed her a handkerchief. “Here. Blow your nose.”

  Helen grabbed it and toyed with it, picking at the embroidered rose. “I tried to apologize, but he wouldn’t listen. We were going to go see a picture show, but he drove me home instead. Oh, Betty! I wish I wasn’t so stupid.” She blew her nose, producing a loud fog-horn like sound, and handed me the handkerchief back.

  Wrinkling my nose, I took it back, careful not to touch the wet part. A sudden gasp from Helen made me drop it onto the beige carpet. “What’s wrong?”

  Helen squealed, “You’re engaged?”

  I smiled. “Yes.”

  “That’s wonderful!” She squeezed me so tight I could hardly breathe.

  “I know. But let’s get back to you and George. I’m sure he’ll—”

  Helen furrowed her brows. “Do you honestly think I want to talk about that when I would much rather have details. And we have a wedding to plan! Did you two pick a date? And what about flowers? Your hair! Are you going to wear it up or down? Have you told your parents yet?”

  She continued to prattle on, her own problem forgotten in the excitement, but I didn’t listen. What would my father think? Pragmatic and stern, he had never thought well of Will when I had tutored him during high school. After all, my father believed that men were the smarter sex and that women belonged at home, tending to the children, with a home-cooked meal hot and ready for the husband when he came home from work. We had often clashed with our ideals over the years, especially over my profession and my moving out. Rushing into marriage would hardly seem responsible to him.

  Although he might like it. Think that I’ll settle down and be a more respectable daughter. Maybe I was worrying over nothing.

  Still, I hoped his shotgun wasn’t loaded.

  ~* * *~

  After making some very tentative wedding plans with Helen, I begged off and called my mother. After three rings, her soft and soothing voice asked, “Hello?”

  “Hi, Mother. How are you?”

  “Betty! I haven’t heard from you in awhile. Is everything all right?”

  I could picture my mother, standing in the kitchen, a towel in her hands. “I’m sorry to be calling so late—”

  “Nonsense, dear, you can call at anytime, you know that. I was just washing some dishes.”

  “I was wondering if I could come over sometime soon for a visit.”

  I could practically see the smile on her face, hear it in her voice. “Should I set the supper table for three or four?”

  “Four.”

  She clapped her hands and hummed with delight. Then she added, “Um, you don’t mean Helen, do you? She’s a lovely girl and a great friend but—”

  I grinned. “
No, Mother.”

  “Oh good.” The relief in her voice made me laugh. “Does tomorrow work for you two?”

  “Sure.”

  “Great. We’ll be expecting you promptly at five. Don’t be late. You know your father gets cranky if he doesn’t eat on time.”

  “I remember. Love you Mother.”

  “Love you too, dear.”

  I hung up. Despite how excited Mother was, I still faced tomorrow night with trepidation.

  Bound By Love

  Chapter Three

  Nervous energy practically hummed in the car, although it might have been the radio vibrating. I opened and closed my fists, my back pressed firmly against the seat, as I instructed, “Be courteous and look my father in the eye. He’s one of those suspicious types. If you don’t look at him, he’ll think you’re either lying or hiding something. And please be on your best behavior.”

  Will glanced over at me for half a second before returning his attention to the road. “I do know how to behave,” he said firmly. “And it’s not as if I don’t know your parents. I do.”

  “I know,” I groaned. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not.”

  “Why wouldn’t it be?” He grinned crookedly. “After all, what’s not to love?”

  I sighed and hoped he was right that I was worrying over nothing. I rubbed his cheek and felt the beginnings of stubble. “You should have shaved.”

  “Stop harping.”

  “Sorry.” I leaned over, struggling against the unforgiving seat belt, and kissed his cheek.

  “That’s better.”

  He pulled into my parents' driveway a few minutes later and parked the car. I failed to calm my nerves as he walked around and helped me out of the car. I grabbed the bottle of wine, glad to have something in my hands as we walked up to my parents' stone house.