Willed to Love Read online

  Instant explosions went off within her as he pulled her against him and kissed her, months of frustrated passion, of hopeless need cresting, threatening to sweep them both away. Weak-kneed, she wrapped her arms around his neck and let him pull her tight against his body, the warm water cascading down them as he lifted her, fitting her into the curves of his larger frame, supporting her slighter weight on his hands.

  “Damn baby I love you,” he whispered as he pressed kisses against her cheek and down her neck. “I missed you so much.”

  Tears spilled from Ashley’s eyes as she tipped her head back, silently consenting to whatever happened. It had been two weeks in the making, and thanks to his grandmother’s letter, which she had read multiple times a day since she had agreed to the reconciliation, she was ready to give them a second chance. She had to.

  Every day she had been apart from him had been lonely, and she had almost gone back several times. Only the faint stretch marks on her stomach, the baby clothes locked away in a hope chest, and memory of mocking laughter at her darkest moments held her back. She hadn’t been strong enough to face the rejection of his family again, hadn’t been strong enough to tell him everything that had happened.

  But Devon’s Nana had changed everything with the letter she had left as the last of her legacy.

  Dearest Ashley,

  I gave up a lot in my life. Nothing I regretted more however than the love of my life. My family didn’t approve of him, you see. They had other plans for me.

  And so I have spent most of my life alone, surrounded by a family that I grew to resent just as much as I hated the man my family forced me to marry. Devon has been the only bright light in my life, the child of my eldest. He is my legacy.

  Don’t walk away from him. Fight for him, as I didn’t fight for my beloved. Screw the rest of the family. I’ve done all I can to protect you from them, and from the secret that you need to hold close to your heart. For you see, I didn’t tell anyone, although I suspect my husband knew, that I was pregnant when I married him.

  His father was brought to life out of love, and that love continues on in Devon.

  Losing Devon’s dad a few years back was almost as hard on me as when I had to walk away from his father. When your baby died, and you left, the sun stopped shining for two of us – Devon and myself. He deserves more than he will ever find with his kin, and he is coming to realize that.

  I don’t know what all passed between you and my children, but if it is true to their form, it was hellish and completely unfair. Blame them, hate them. But don’t punish Devon, and yourself.

  Remember dear, now you can tell the family to go to hell, and they can’t do a thing about it. Saving face is important to them, but money is at the heart of all that they do. My husband taught them well. I hope that my passing gives you the means to rekindle what was once there, and save what I lost.

  All my love, and greatest affection,

  Lillian

  Wrapping her legs around her husband’s waist, she arched against him as his lips trailed down to her breasts. “I love you too,” she gasped as his cock rubbed against the cleft of her body, teasing her with what was to come.

  Gently, as he always had, he lifted her up, her moist nether lips pressed against his stomach, her breasts dangling in front of his face. As if he had all the time in the world, he stroked his tongue over one of her nipples. Nipping at it lightly with his teeth, he tugged just enough to draw a gasp of pleasure-pain from her before turning his attention to the other nipple.

  Lavishing equal attention between her two nipples, he alternated back and forth, curling his tongue around the hardened bud and nipping at it with his strong teeth.

  Ashley clutched at his shoulders, her nails digging into the tanned flesh as her body demanded more. She wanted him to fill her, to make her feel whole again as she hadn’t felt since she left him. Her body ached in memory of what it was like to have his cock push deep into her pussy, stretching her until she thought she would scream from the sweet sensations.

  Breathless, she started begging, “Devon, please!” hoping he would finally join them together. Thankfully, he understood and brought her back down his body, his cock nudging at her outer lips, then slipping partway into her core. Trembling at the flush of sensations, Ashley wiggled in his arms, eager to deepen their contact.

  “I can’t go through this again. Whatever happens, we work through it together.”

  Ashley’s eyes flared open and she looked into his blue ones, startled to find tears shimmering in their depths. “Yes,” she agreed, heartbroken that she had hurt him so badly, “I promise we will.” At the time, it had seemed the only way. Now she knew she should have trusted him to help her, trusted him to choose her, to love her enough.

  He jerked his hips and fully seated himself within her, then pressed her back against the cool, moist tile and started thrusting. Still holding his shoulders, Ashley loosened her body, riding the flow of his motions. Each thrust delivered the sweetest sensations as his cock slid against her slick inner muscles, the friction sending a riot of impulses through her nervous system.

  Tipping her head back, she arched against him, her body quickly building to its peak, thanks to her frustrated earlier efforts at an orgasm. Devon pressed tight against her, his breathing harsh in her ear as he pumped his hips, working his cock deep and dark into her, then pulling back just enough to surge in again.

  Ashley could feel her body tightening, her orgasm fast threatening to claim her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and started whispering in his ear, telling him how good he made her feel, describing the sensations coursing throughout her body, begging him to fuck her harder.

  That was one thing she hadn’t been willing to change, no matter what. Devon loved it when she talked dirty, and even when she was dressing differently, eating differently, and trying her best to fit in, she refused to listen to the wives’ advice about her sexual relationship with her husband. How she should encourage him to seek his pleasure elsewhere while she worked to create the perfect home for him, the perfect foil for his entry into politics. Something Devon had been adamant he didn’t want, on both counts.

  “You burn me up baby, fucking scorch me right to the bone.” Ashley thrilled at his gravely tone as he reciprocated, not as eloquent, but certainly as turned on.

  Dropping one hand from his shoulders to slide between them, she started rubbing and plucking her clit, sending shivers down her spine and tremors through her pussy. Gasping as Devon shifted his angle, she couldn’t hold back any longer. Her body clenching around him, she came, milking his cock with her inner muscles as he shortened his strokes and started pumping faster.

  Her back slapped against the tile wall with each motion. Moments later, Devon groaned in her ear and his hips stopped rocking. She could feel the flow of his come deep in her core. She wanted to drop to her knees and suck the rest out of him, tasting the tang of her juices on his cock as he filled her mouth, but months without his vigorous lovemaking had left her feeling sore and tired already.

  She doubted she would even be able to stand upright when he let her go. Thankfully, she didn’t have to. He somehow managed to get the taps turned off and step out of shower and into the bedroom, with a towel, without disturbing her.

  Still wrapped tightly around him, Ashley trilled inside as he dropped the towel over a chair and settled into it, his softening cock still slightly inside of her. As he leaned back and shifted her position, so that she straddled him, and yet curled against his chest, she could feel her pussy begging for him. Her clit was hard and swollen, still tingling from her last orgasm.

  In tune with her body, despite their absence from each other, Devon slid a hand between them and with a gentle touch, swirled his fingertip over her clit. It was just enough to reawaken the slumbering need inside of her. Rocking against his cock, Ashley closed her eyes and leaned her head against his shoulder, and let her husband coax another orgasm out of her worn out body.

  As th
e last traces left her, she lifted her leg up and over and repositioned herself so that she lay curled up in his lap, still deliciously naked.

  Devon stroked his hands up and down her back, and over her arms, as they cuddled together. An eternity passed, before his deep voice disturbed the silence. “I love you,” he whispered, a slight catch to his voice as he spoken.

  “I love you too.”

  * * * *

  Almost three months after Nan’s death, Ashley was ready to wash her hands of the whole situation and dump everything in Devon’s lap. Against her better judgment, she had decided to invite his family over for a small, intimate dinner, where they would announce their formal reconciliation now that the period asked for in the will was drawing to an end. The lawyers had already been called off, and Ashley wanted nothing more than to savor having Devon back in her life. But she had felt that his family, cold and cruel that they were, deserved more than an email, which was how Devon had originally planned to tell them.

  She had debated phoning them, but decided she didn’t want to give them the opportunity to hang up on her. It was Bernard who had come to the rescue, and suggested a simple family dinner, with one addition.

  After an hour with his family, she was ready to get up and walk out, after telling them all to get the hell out. The only thing holding her back was the presence of Nana’s lawyer, who Bernard has suggested inviting. He sat midway down the table, a small smile curling his lips.

  Ashley found herself thankful he had accepted the invitation, after for the thousandth time one of the aunts looked at her, opened her mouth to say something, glanced at the lawyer and turned her attention back to her dinner.

  As Devon stood and struck his water glass with his fork, the conversation around the table fell silent. Looking into her husband’s warm gaze, Ashley shifted in her seat, nervous about the reaction that were about to get.

  “As you all now know, Ashley and I are officially back together, and I want to thank you all for giving us time to work things out between us.” Droll though his tone was, not a hint of sarcasm dripped from his words. He had that in common with his grandmother; both of them had been able to deliver the sarcastic and the humorous, without batting an eye or their voices betraying them.

  Not that they had much choice. It was close, but Ashley managed not to say it aloud. Darting a glance at Nan’s lawyer, she saw by his face he was thinking the same thing. But if Devon could resist resorting to snide comments, so could she.

  “Our reconciliation isn’t the only reason we asked you all here tonight. We also wanted you to know that soon we will have a new addition to our family. Ashley found out just the other day that she is pregnant.”

  Murmurs filled the room as Devon’s family reacted to the news that she was again going to desecrate their illustrious gene pool. Rubbing a hand over her still flat stomach, Ashley fought against the tears that threatened to spill. She wasn’t going to let Devon’s family upset her. She wasn’t going to do anything to risk her child’s life.

  “I know that previously, you didn’t take well to our expecting a child, and were even worse when Ashley miscarried. Rather than embrace my wife, you humiliated her, shunned her, and worse, tormented her in her greatest hour of need. For that, I want you to know that this will be the last time you will ever be welcome in this house again.”

  Several gasps of outrage resulted, but thankfully not protests. The will was ironclad. Devon’s grandmother had wanted them to have her home, the house that belonged to her family, not the Monroe’s.

  “The best part though, is that after today, you will also not be expected to socialize with either one of us again. See, shortly before Nana died, she made a confession to me, and since my father isn’t alive to suffer for it, I see no reason not to share.

  “While we share blood through Nana, I am not now, nor have I ever been a Monroe. My father was Nana’s child through her first and only love, and Ashley and I have already started the process to have our last name changed to his. Soon we will be Mr. and Mrs. Devon Wallace. And you, my dear family, can kiss my ass.”

  Without waiting for any response, Devon held out his hand to Ashley, and together they left the room. As the door closed behind them, she could hear some of the wives screeching like wet hens, and the husbands trying vainly to calm them down before they said something that would null any part of Devon’s grandmother’s will. Calm and steady, Bernard was seeing to them, ushering them out of the house.

  Ashley hated that it had come down to this, but Devon had made the decision after she had finally admitted what had happened during the days between the miscarriage and when she had packed up and left. Not wanting to dwell on it, she had simply asked not to be forced to attend functions with his family.

  He had done her one step better.

  As they entered their bedroom, safe in the knowledge that the butler was following their earlier directions to see his family out, Ashley wrapped her arms around Devon’s waist and hugged him. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the heady fragrance that was cologne mixed with a scent that was all her husband.

  “I knew the night I met you, when you defended Nana, that you were destined for me. I was a fool to let you go Ash.”

  Ashley held on tightly to his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. “I knew it too. It just took a letter from a meddling lady to get it to sink in. Which brings up something I wanted to talk to you about. If we have a girl, I’d like to call her Lillian, after your Nana.”

  Devon tipped her chin up, and leaned down to press a soft kiss against her lips. “I’d like that, very much.”

  As Devon swept her into his arms and carried her to their bed, Ashley’s gaze caught on the letter that was sitting on her nightstand. The lawyer had given it to her a few days before, when she and Devon had visited to fill out paperwork for a name change, and to inform him of the status of their marriage.

  Ashley,

  Darling, you don’t know how happy I am that this was the letter you received. I admit, I wrote another one, just in case things didn’t go so well. I meddled, like I always do. But that is neither here, nor there, since you are reading this letter.

  Know that I am smiling down on you, as you and Devon begin your lives together again. Regardless of what the road ahead may throw into your path, hold tight to my grandson and you will make it through.

  I love you both, my darlings. And I wish you all the love and happiness in the world.

  I do wish dear girl that you had been more forthcoming with sharing during our girl talks, but I understand your reluctance. When someone doesn’t matter to you, it’s easy to tell about your sexual exploits. But when it’s love, ah, when it’s love my child, you want to hold the memories tight to your chest, so as not to tarnish them.

  I knew that day in the library, when you were so reluctant to share even details of a kiss, that you were the one for my grandson. After all, I still wouldn’t be willing to share details of my time with Devon’s grandfather beyond that it was glorious, and filled with love and passion. As I wish your life to be.

  Always and affectionately yours,

  Lillian