It’s Not Home Without You: A Homecoming Novel #1 Read online

  This was heaven.

  “Fuck, I love watching my dick disappear into your pussy.” His gruff tone made me whimper. Was it possible to cram seven years of sex in a week? Nope, but Max was sure as hell trying.

  “I thought you said you like me on my knees,” I teased.

  “I used to jerk off at night to the image of you and those tiny cotton shorts.” He spanked my right butt cheek, making it sting. “I love your ass.” Abruptly, he flipped me, and I felt the loss of him. He stood above me, and I noticed the ripples of his abs had a thin sheen of sweat. His usually mossy eyes were dark with lust.

  “Ask me what I love the most, Freya.”

  Licking my lips, I asked, “What do you love the most?”

  He gave me a feral smile then bent my legs and opened them for his viewing pleasure.

  “I love—” Max’s thrusts in me were so hard my vision went white. “—watching you come apart for me.” He fucked me hard and fast, letting go of his control. My moans, his grunting, and the bed creaking where the only sounds in our room.

  “Max.” I was almost there, but I needed more. He let go of one of my legs and brought his hand down to my pussy, his thumb caressing my clit slowly, tauntingly.

  “Max.” I intended to yell, but it came out a tortured moan. When Max added the pressure I needed, my eyes rolled back.

  “That’s it. Right there, baby. Come for me. Show me how much you fucking need me.”

  I could barely keep my eyes open between his thumb on my clit and his fast-paced thrusts, but when he bent his head and sucked on my breast, I was done for.

  “Baby,” I moaned as my pussy contracted against his dick.

  “Fuck,” he groaned before he collapsed on top of me. We stayed like that for a few minutes—Max on top of me while I ran my fingers through his auburn hair. I loved his hair. I hoped that when we had children, they got his hair color instead of my dull brown.

  Holy shit. Was I thinking about babies with Max already?

  “Freya, are you all right?” Upon noticing how still I went, Max sat up straight, watching me with regard.

  “Yeah, I was just thinking about what I would say to Dex.” I knew Max loved my honesty, but this was a conversation we didn’t need to have right then.

  “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” He gave me a quick kiss before he got up to go get us food.

  No one could live on orgasms alone, no matter how good they were.

  41

  Freya

  “Dex, open the door. I know you’re home!” I tapped on the door, trying to make a dent. I wasn’t strong enough to make one but I would try. I mean, the man had taken a week-long break, what more did he need? Did he not want a sister? Or maybe it was different for me since I went without my father since birth. I always knew my father was either dead like Dev or with a family of his own. Since it was the second, well, I never imagined what it would be like to meet any siblings I might have. But I had met that sibling, and I liked him even before I knew he was my family. I grew up with only Grandpa and Rusty. Could you blame me for trying to form a bond with my brother?

  “Dexter!” I yelled again and stopped myself from hitting the door when I saw the doorknob turn. Detective “Dex” Hendrix, aka my brother, did not look like his sparkly self. Instead, he was sporting a full, bushy beard and purple bags under his eyes and looked like a hobo.

  “Are you done acting like a bitch on her rag? Because, let me say, if anyone should be upset in this scenario, it’s me,” I declared.

  There was an itsy-bitsy grin fighting to break free on his lips. I took it as a good sign and barreled my way into his home.

  “You want to come in, Freya? Oh, I’d love to. How gracious of you to ask,” I said sarcastically as I made my way to the couch.

  “Make yourself at home,” he added dryly.

  I watched as he took a seat across from me. When a full minute passed, and he didn’t talk, I figured it was up to me to start this little family reunion.

  “So, I guess you’re my little brother. I mean, I feel like we should have known. I have brown hair and mesmerizing brown eyes. You have brown hair and mesmerizing brown eyes. We both have strong feelings about the law.”

  Dex snorted at my comment.

  Enough with the joking.

  “Do you not want me as a sister?” I asked softly. What if he wanted to be an only child, and I ruined that for him? Never mind, his dad killed that for him.

  “Nah, it’s not that. Look, Freya, I’m... I’m sorry for running off. This was as much of a shock for me as it was for you. My father always raised me to do the right thing. It’s part of the reason I became a cop in the first place. Then to find out he had a secret daughter he might have known about, that shit’s fucked up. You told me about your childhood, how am I not supposed to feel bad that while we went on family vacations, my sister was bullied.”

  “You called me your sister.” There was awe in my tone. “Look, you can still love your dad. He might not have been there for me, but by the sounds of things, he was there for you. I was fine; I had Grandpa, Rusty, and Max growing up.”

  “Yeah, but if he would have believed your mom, your life might have been different.”

  I grimaced. “I would have been a Hendrix bastard, no offense. Hell, I still am one, but I guess between breaking up a marriage and being a bastard, it’s not so bad.”

  Oh my God. Abigail and I were related. Shit. I shook my head, not getting near that can of worms.

  “So, we cool?” I got up. I had to meet Max. I had to pick him up at the factory since he let me borrow his car.

  “We’re good,” he replied, and some of the tension I’d been carrying around disappeared.

  Before I walked out the door, I turned to my brother and said, “If you don’t stop fucking around with Emma, I swear I will hook her up with Bear.”

  Dex’s eyes darkened, not liking what I said. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  I smiled sweetly at him. “We both know I would. Now, I want her as a sister, so go make it official or whatever.”

  Dex gave me a playful push then closed the door in my face.

  Great, I had another moody brother.

  * * *

  Love was a war; I knew that firsthand. I had lived with the scars of the battle for seven years. It was surreal, even after weeks of bliss, at how easy it was for your body to adjust to an old normal. Things had never been easy for me. Walking away from Max and being on my own was one of the hardest things I ever had to endure. It was scary how easy it was to get back to a point where, at the end of my day, Max was waiting for me. I was sitting on the hood of his car, waiting for him to finish his work. Emma was sending me pictures of what the workers were doing. Construction had begun, and our diner should be ready by spring. I looked up at the leaves that had fallen, and I still thought nothing beat Sunny Pines in the fall.

  When Max came out, I jumped off the hood and ran into his arms. He dropped his briefcase and opened his arms wide so that I could throw myself at him.

  “I missed you.” I peppered kisses around his jaw.

  “You have me, Freya,” he replied softly. He didn’t have to tell me he loved me. We didn’t always say it, but it was there—in every touch, in every smile, in the way we gazed into each other’s eyes.

  “Come on, I’m starving.” He led me to the car and opened my door before going to his side. Man, I loved how chivalrous he was.

  “Close your eyes,” Max said as he drove.

  “Why,” I asked skeptically. “I thought we would visit my grandpa. I haven’t been over in two weeks. Either he comes to the shop to see me, or you take us out to eat. I need to see he isn’t starving.”

  Max sighed in frustration. “Babe, can’t you do what I tell you for once?”

  “Fine, I’ll close my eyes,” I bit out. “You’re not taking me to the old water tower again to relive old memories, are you? Because I gotta say, running into Blake was kind of a buzzkill for his girl and me.”
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br />   Then I laughed because that was awkward.

  I opened my eyes just as we passed the old bridge, and I got goose bumps. The rails got fixed, and they put up metal ones instead of wood. It was more resistant that way. The car halted, causing me to shriek. “What the hell, Max!”

  My man took off his tie, and for a second, I thought he would bind my hands. Instead, he put it over my eyes, covering my sight. “Babe, is there a fantasy we haven’t talked about? Cause I don’t know how I feel about bondage.”

  “Jesus,” he murmured. “I like the way your nails press into my skin, trying to rip me in two when I fuck you, and you won’t be able to do that restrained.”

  I had to get my breathing under control. “So, where are we going?” I asked, getting impatient.

  “Freya, shut up and wait.”

  How rude. I sat in silence, trying to figure out where we were going, but Max was making all these turns either to throw me off, or he was taking me to the water tower after all. When the car stopped, I went straight for the tie, but Max stopped me.

  “I’ll take it off. Wait here.” I heard him get out of the car and waited for my door to open. He wouldn’t leave me here, would he?

  “Max!” I yelled when he picked me up carried me bridal style. My arms were around his neck while he kept walking. When he finally put me down, I was a ball of anticipation. Max had taken away the tie, but my eyes were still closed.

  “Freya, open your eyes, baby.”

  When I did, I stared right at his green ones. The soft gleam he always had reserved for me was there, but also worry. I took a deep breath and looked ahead.

  “Is... is it for us?” I said, taking a step closer to the house that was being built. I turned to look around, and I saw my grandfather’s trailer down the road. I opened my mouth, but I was speechless.

  “Freya Pratt, I knew I could fall in love with you the moment you told me about your mother. I knew I loved you the first time you were in my room. I knew I wanted to marry you at my prom. Living without you wasn’t living at all. Now that I have you back, I can’t imagine a night without you by my side. I’m done wasting time, baby. I bought this land with you in mind. I would never make a home here with anyone but you.”

  I couldn’t remember how to breathe. I blinked back tears.

  Max gave me a soft smile. “Move in with me, Freya. Let’s finally be happy together.”

  “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.” I jumped into his arms, and he twirled me.

  Nine years ago, I met the love of my life. Seven years ago, I had to say goodbye to him. But now… now he was all mine.

  We were forever.

  Coming Soon

  The Way Back Home

  A Homecoming Novella

  1

  Emma

  Saving all my money, taking loans, and investing it in a town that was barely growing wasn’t one of my brighter ideas. I can admit that, but I loved my hometown, I loved the people who, even though they were nosey and judgey at times, always pulled through when you needed them.

  I knew I wanted to have my own coffee shop since I was seven years old. I think I knew it at three when I drunk mud water thinking it was coffee, but let’s not count that one. My grandmama Vera came for a visit once and showed me how to make sugar cookies with espresso, and ever since then, it was my go-to snack.

  I’ve always been timid. While other girls were on dates, at parties, or getting arrested, I was at home baking — sugar cookies were my teenage years bestie. When the chance arose to own my own business in my beloved hometown, I jumped through hoops to get it.

  Today was a hot summer day, so I wore a faded pair of jean shorts, a white t-shirt, and my oldest pair of black chucks. Next to me, on the passenger seat, was two buckets of yellow paint I had Mr. Carson prepare for me earlier today. I parked my car in front of the store I had just purchased. I couldn’t have asked for a better spot. It was at the end of the plaza and right across the street from the kiosk and most of the town’s festivities. Closing the car door behind me, I placed the buckets of paint on the sidewalk while I marveled at my new place. Grabbing the key the real estate agent gave me, I opened the door, and for the first time since returning to Sunny Pines, I felt at home.

  Since I was an impatient person, I got started on painting the front right away. I couldn’t wait to see my shop how I envisioned it in my head. I was so engrossed in painting my shop a pastel yellow I didn’t notice people approaching.

  “What are you doing?” I stopped mid-roll at the haughty voice. I internally groaned since it would be way rude of me to do it aloud. It might have been years, but I’d recognize Abigail’s voice anywhere. Pushing a strand of my curly blonde hair out of my eyes I turned to give her a smile when all I wanted to say was to mind her own business.

  “It’s this thing called painting.” I closed my mouth immediately because I couldn’t believe I had just said that. Oh, shoot. The first thing I saw was two sets of feet. One was black strappy heels with a pale pink pedicure. Like I expected anything less from Abigail. The other pair were black Vans sneakers and unlike my black chucks, his were brand new. My eyes followed the path of their legs, noting Abbi red skirt and a white blouse, and the guy’s dark jeans and a white t-shirt.

  Oh. My. Wow.

  He was gorgeous, the type of gorgeous I’d never seen in my life. Tall, athletic build, handsome, dark brown hair, very handsome, and brown eyes, lips— oh, right, he was with Abigail. I turned to look at Abigail, who unsurprisingly had a scowl on her gorgeous face.

  What a shocker.

  “I know what painting is, but why are you painting this one?” She pointed at my new store. I had the front almost done. I couldn’t wait until I got my decal that said Emma’s Coffee. I know, not very creative, but this store was mine. My baby, and I wanted everyone to know that.

  Abigail snapped her fingers. “I’m talking to you, retard.”

  I loathed it when she called me that just because I was quiet and tended to get lost in my own head or sometimes, I would overthink what to say. It was more embarrassing because her out of town boyfriend was with her; her out of town, very gorgeous, boyfriend.

  “I bought it,” I replied, giving her a blank look.

  Abigail scrunched her nose. “You bought my shop?”

  Her what? Yeah, no, I paid for this puppy, ain’t no way this spoiled princess was taking it away from me. I dug into my back pocket and pulled out the key. I might have gone a little overboard when I bought a personalized keychain with a coffee mug on before I signed the lease. “Your shop?”

  Abigail turned to her boyfriend—damn he was good looking—and screeched, “Daddy said he was going to buy me this store for my boutique.”

  Oooh, girl, daddy knew that was a bad investment.

  When out of town hottie snorted, I knew I said it aloud.

  “Excuse me, did you say something?”

  I looked at Abigail and shook my head. I was not in the mood for more of her insults. She could go take it up with daddy or Harold at the bank and save me the headache.

  “Come on, Dex, let’s go. We have better things to do with our time.” I watched as Abigail wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. That’s when I looked at him, like really looked at him. Okay, I could get lost in those brown eyes, but the thing that got me the most was the way he made my stomach tingle.

  Abigail’s boyfriend, right. I needed to remember that, and, I wouldn’t know what do to with a guy like him. Unlike Abigail, her boyfriend had manners. He extended his right hand and said, “Dex Hendrix.”

  Oh, Lord. His voice was suave and cool, and that name was off the charts hot. Which it made me wonder if he was putting up a façade. You couldn’t be all that good and be dating Abigail. Which in turn got me thinking—when exactly did Abigail get over her obsession with Maximilian? A lot had changed in the four years I was away for college.

  I gave him a tight-lipped smile and then Abigail a less cringey one. No need to greet her boyfriend. I knew Ab
igail; it would rub her the wrong way.

  When I didn’t make a move to shake his hand, he gave me a curious look, then his eyes roamed my body. Oh boy. I felt his gaze as if it were a feather-light touch on my skin. When he reached my shoes, he smiled. I looked down to see what was so funny. Right, I had paint on my chucks. Whatever; that’s why I was rocking an old pair today.

  Both Abigail and her boyfriend could suck it. I didn’t like judgy people, and Abigail was the worst kind of judgy. I watched Abigail lead her boyfriend away. When he turned back to look at me there was an intensity in his gaze that almost looked like longing. I felt it deep in my soul and that scared me. Turning around I ran into my shop.

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  About the Author

  Claudia lives in the Chicagoland suburbs, and when she’s not busy chasing after her adorable little spawn, she’s fighting with the characters in her head. After not being able to keep up with them, she decided enough was enough and wrote her first novel. C. Lymari writes both sweet and dark romances that will give you all the feels. Her other talents include binge watching shows on Netflix and eating all kinds of chips.

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  Acknowledgments

  There are so many people I want to thank I don’t know where to start. I guess I’ll start at the beginning. Thank you to my family for being supportive and amazing — special shout out to my mama who took care of my little munchkin while I worked over edits. To my annoying little cousins, and brother, who are all taller than me here I mention you be happy and leave me alone. To my friends who I annoyed with my words, I’m sorry, but I am not. Also, to my girls, the Chaddettes, (Amanda, BJ, Carmen, Eloise, Georgina, Jacinta, Jen, Katey, Laura, Nichole, Rebekah, Soph, Stef) you don’t know how happy I am that I met all you wonderful women. Who not only encouraged me to keep going but also made me believe in myself. Jacinta and Katey you were one of the first to read INHWY and your kind words made my year! To Angel, I’m glad I met you. Thanks for all your help in not only proofreading but in how to handle this new world.