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  She paused, obviously surprised, then hugged him back hard and whispered in his ear. “Thank you for everything.” He knew Harper was grateful for how he’d protected Poe and her rascally dogs, but he’d gotten the best part of the bargain. He got his Poe. He then turned and offered his hand to Aiden, who ignored it and hugged him hard, too.

  Jared shook his head, grinning from ear to ear, then turned to beam at the rest of the gang. “Thank you guys for being here. It means a lot to us. But what will we do with the dogs on the island?”

  “I’ll take them back on the jet,” Harper said. “Brooke will babysit The Terribles, and Callie will handle Daisy, so it’s a go.”

  Poe gave her a shocked look. “Are you certain? These are The Terrible Two.”

  “I’m certain. As long as we keep the cockpit door closed and locked, they won’t take over and try to fly the plane.”

  Everyone burst out laughing.

  “I’ll drive your car back to the City,” Nate said. “And take care of getting Pap to the airport. You guys go and have a great time.”

  “Thanks, Nate. Okay, that’s settled. Let’s have some fun,” Jared said. “The pool in one hour!”

  #

  While the guys, including Jared’s brother Nate and Poe’s sister and brother, played in the pool, Poe settled back on a deck chair next to her friends and her mother.

  “Okay,” Brooke began the discussion. “We have a ton of stuff to do, but most of the big issues are handled. I found this great chapel that has an outside gazebo that’s really beautiful…and everything is included, so that’s less work for all of us.”

  “I knew you could do this,” Poe said, sipping her mineral water. It was also great to have a high-powered friend like Harper in the hotel business. They hadn’t wanted for anything from the moment they stepped into the hotel, and she might be a fiercely independent woman who had trouble letting go, but surrendering control this one time couldn’t hurt.

  Brooke smiled, looking completely in her element. “With Callie’s wedding only a few weeks away, and then Drew’s sister a week after, I have definitely had my hands full, but…Poe, you know that I would do anything for you.”

  Poe smiled. “That’s a given, but what about your wedding?”

  “Mine?” She waved her hand. “That’s not until October, so we’re definitely not getting bogged down with that today.”

  “You’re making your own gown, aren’t you?”

  Brooke gave her a sly smile. “Never you mind, honey. I’ll fill you in on my wedding details when we get all these other ones wrapped up to our satisfaction.”

  “Fair enough,” Poe said.

  “Now for the dress. I’ve pulled some pictures off the internet from stores in the area, and I’ve narrowed it down to four that I think you’ll love, along with some bridesmaid dresses to go with.”

  When Poe saw the pictures that Brooke pulled up on her laptop, she squealed and everyone oohed and ahhhed. “Oh, my God, Brooke! You know me so well.”

  Brooke gave her a nudge. “The lime green and black ballerina dress with sequins. Am I right?” She winked at Poe.

  “And the top hat. Perfect!” The combination would be killer.

  “Okay, I’ll get them to replace the white ribbon on the hat with a lime green ribbon to match the dress. I’ve already contacted all the stores and made appointments for the fittings, but I’ll just cancel the rest and we’ll focus on your choice. And…” Brooke paused dramatically, “…if you love the wedding gown, you’re going to adore the cake. Here’s a picture.”

  “Bats!” Poe shrieked with delight. “Oh, my God, Brooke, you should do this for a living!” Poe just stared at the picture. This was her dream wedding. A black Goth princess wedding dress and a bat cake. It couldn’t be more perfect.

  “Drew found the cake, so I can’t take any credit.”

  “Drew!” Poe yelled and he paused in his conversation with Aiden and turned to look at her, chest deep in the water.

  “Bats!”

  He smiled and she got up and ran over there. He swam to the edge of the pool. He raised his hand for a high five, but Poe ignored that. She kissed him full on the mouth and hugged him, getting all wet. “Thank you, you amazing man, you.”

  “Wow,” he looked over his shoulder at Jared, then back at her. “You sure you want to marry that cowpoke? Lawyers are much more fun.”

  Poe giggled and Jared shoved him under the water, which set off a chain reaction of wrestlings and dunkings. Poe backpedaled away from the edge before she got sucked into the wild and wet madness. As she walked away they were calling for a game of water chicken.

  Brooke and the rest of them were laughing. “That man is crazy, but such a big help.”

  “Really, Brooke, you could do this for a living,” Callie said.

  “I’ve got two businesses already, so, since there’s no way I’m going to shortchange my honeys Drew and Boxer, that’s more than enough.” Then Brooke glanced over where Drew was hanging onto the side of the pool laughing his head off at the antics of all the chicken players. Poe smiled as she watched Brooke’s face soften. She knew she looked at Jared the same way. Speaking of which, he was looking particularly gorgeous with all that bare, hard muscle. As she brought her eyes back to Brooke’s laptop they snagged on Harper’s face. For one tiny moment she… actually looked jealous. Jealous of all of them? With all the bounty that she had in her life, how could she be envious?

  Then Poe remembered when she’d been alone, and how she felt now, with Jared, and she understood. Money truly couldn’t buy you everything. She’d have to make time to talk to her friend.

  The rest of them had found deep, abiding love…and Poe could see that Harper longed for that too, but Harper was completely unable to fully trust any man. She would always have to wonder if her money was the reason for an attraction, and even though the men in her circle were so polished, a lot of them were fortune-hunters.

  Then she saw Harper give Nate a more than passing glance. Oh, dear, that wouldn’t do.

  Nate was certainly gorgeous, darker than Jared and extremely well-built, plus he had a soft Texas drawl that added richness to that smooth, whiskey voice. But he was Jared’s brother, and that could complicate things.

  Harper definitely needed a fling, but Nate wasn’t really available since his heart was kinda broken.

  But that was a problem, too. It was tough to find good fling material.

  The guys came back, shaking their heads like wet dogs, hurling cold droplets everywhere, and laughing like little boys, and Poe found herself distracted by Jared, but not distracted enough to miss that Nate had settled beside Harper.

  Chapter Three

  The second day, Poe woke up with Jared sprawled against her, his thickly muscled thigh between her legs, and his arm tucked securely around her waist.

  Unable to drag her eyes away, she watched him, a swell of love and pride and unexpected longing clogging her chest. Sometimes she forgot how damned attractive he was. His face was deliciously stubbled, and he looked so relaxed, so comfortable, so at peace. He’d had a couple of serious nightmares, but what he’d gone through in Afghanistan had been intense, and even a year later still troubled him sometimes.

  When that happened, she held him while he trembled and clutched her to him as the dream-triggered memories turned him inside out. He’d needed her and she’d been there for him. As strong as he was, Jared wasn’t embarrassed about his vulnerability.

  It was one of the things that had gotten to her, especially when she’d been so sure she couldn’t forgive him, or Harper, or the rest of them for keeping her in the dark.

  It was hard to believe that she had just made up with Jared a few weeks ago. Now she couldn’t imagine life without him.

  Jared’s openness, his dedication to clear and honest communication, and the way he talked to her, were big reasons that she was absolutely sure that marrying him was the best decision she’d ever made. He would be a partner. She had no doubt ab
out that. He would never sugarcoat anything, and he would give her space when she needed it.

  His dark brown hair needed a trim. She reached out and combed her fingers through it. He usually kept it short, but he’d been preoccupied with her for the last few weeks.

  She bit her lip as the silky strands of hair slipped through her fingers. Feeling tears stinging at the backs of her eyes again, she couldn’t help wondering if it was just hormones, or if maybe something else was bothering her.

  Who was she kidding? Of course something else was bothering her. She had some major decisions to make.

  First off, her apartment wasn’t big enough, and neither was Jared’s one-bedroom. They would need to search for a house. The next thing she’d have to decide was what she was going to do about her job.

  She couldn’t just give up being a vet, but the thought of not being there for her child caused Poe more than a small amount of anxiety. She closed her eyes, an odd ache unfolding in her chest. What if…what if she was terrible at being a mother?

  No wonder Jared was peaceful about the whole thing. His life wasn’t changing a whole heck of a lot. In fact, she and the baby were just a bonus for him.

  For just a split second she was a tad resentful and a little mad. Maybe not exactly at him, but at the circumstances.

  He stirred sleepily, and without warning rolled to his back, bringing her with him. Flush against his body, she felt a very stiff morning hard-on against her pelvis and stomach.

  He captured one of her nipples in his mouth and Poe gasped softly, her body going liquid, and all thoughts simply flying out of her head.

  She spread her legs open until her knees settled against the mattress, and she straddled him. His hard heat nestled right against where she needed him most, and with a movement of her hips, she stroked him with her already moist cleft.

  He moaned against her skin, his mouth locked on her nipple, as he shoved his hips against hers, sucking in a ragged intake of air.

  “Ah, sugar,” he whispered, his eyes still closed. Hers drifted shut as she rubbed her face against his rough cheek and moved her hips again.

  “Sugar,” he whispered again, his voice uneven. He turned his head, his eyes popping open, devastatingly green and filled with a passion that she would never get tired of seeing mirrored there. Aware of every breath, every heartbeat, every movement he made, she set out to swamp his senses, take him.

  He held her gaze, his eyes so intense, and—as always happened—they shared that tangible something that passed between them, as if their love floated from him to her and back again. It always made her feel so powerful, so turned on. He still gazed into her eyes as he sought her mouth. Connecting with her lips, he slipped his tongue inside, then reached down to grasp her hips, stroking his palms over the globes of her butt and dragging her up far enough that he could enter her in one slow, hard thrust.

  It was one of those intense moments that they couldn’t sustain. It was too powerful, too potent, too incredibly intimate.

  Poe cried out against his mouth as he pumped into her and she met his exquisite rhythm. Slow, aching thrusts made her whole body beat with his heart, a thrumming that vibrated through her.

  Her climax hit Poe so hard she couldn’t keep her mouth on his. She arched back as the bolt of pleasure detonated and sent waves and waves of sensation washing through her. Jared was watching her when she opened her eyes.

  He flipped her onto her back, and she welcomed him by wrapping her arms around his neck as he groaned. “You are so beautiful, Poe. I love you so much.”

  “Jared, my sweet Jared.”

  He thrust into her harder, watched her reaction, the satisfaction of how much he loved making her twist beneath him clear in his eyes. She pressed her palms flat against his broad, powerful chest, traveling down over the tantalizing ridges of his washboards, down to his lean, muscular waist and those delicious indentations at his hips.

  With her nails, she lightly scored just above the root of his sex. This time she made him jerk and exhale a long, uncontrollable moan as he stiffened against her, his head thrown back, exposing the gorgeous line of his strong throat.

  She reared up at the peak of his orgasm and bit his neck, and he jerked harder against her. She knew how to make his pleasure intensify, so she bit him again, relishing the salty tang of his sweaty skin.

  He collapsed onto her as she cradled his heavy, hard body against hers.

  “I have something for you. He flipped her on top of him again so he could reach the nightstand. Been looking ever since I proposed to you on my Pappy’s ranch.” He shifted, displacing her slightly, but kept a hard arm around her waist. She didn’t mind slip-sliding over all of Jared’s gorgeous muscles.

  He opened the night stand drawer and pulled out a ring box.

  Poe sat up abruptly, her heart soaring into her throat. She looked at the box and heaved a breath in out and out.

  “Oh, man. This makes it really official. Right?” she said giving him a wide-eyed look.

  He smiled slow and easy. “Yup. Shore does.”

  With trembling hands she reached for the box and took it. When she pulled it open, she gasped and tears filled her eyes. “A black diamond.” Even Poe recognized taste and Tiffany’s when she saw it. The ring was shaped like a lotus flower, and in the center of the bloom was a huge black diamond surrounded by little white diamonds that flared out to make the lotus petals. Tears ran down her cheeks and she met his eyes.

  His face softened as he wiggled his hips and rose up into a sitting position with her still in his lap. “When I saw it, I knew it was the one.” He cupped her face in both of his large hands. “It was unique just like you. I wanted to get you something special.” He wiped at her cheeks with his thumbs. Then softly kissed her mouth.

  It was true that his proposal was prompted by news of the baby, and maybe she’d harbored a teeny tiny doubt that he was proposing because she was pregnant, but all those doubts were blasted away by the vulnerable and tender look in his eyes. He was head over heels in love with her and she embraced that. She dropped the ring onto the mattress and slipped her arms around him.

  “Oh, Jared, I have you. That’s all that matters to me. The ring is so beautiful, but you are more precious to me than any diamond, unique or otherwise. Love you,” she breathed in his ear.

  He wrapped his arms around her and growled, “Forever, sugar.”

  #

  “I think the waist needs to be taken in just a tad more here,” Harper said as she walked around Poe, scrutinizing every inch of the dress. The garment looked even better close up, and even better than that on her. She was giddy with excitement. “What do you think, Mrs. Madigan? Austen?”

  Poe’s mother was shadowing Harper, and her sharp eyes surveyed the waist, too. “Oh, please call me Hummingbird or Birdy. I agree.” Austen nodded her agreement.

  Her mother touched the owner’s shoulder. “You can get this to us in two days? Right?” she said, drawing the seamstress over to the side to discuss terms, with Harper and Austen tagging along.

  “So what do you think, my very stylish Goth princess? Meet your very exacting standards?”

  Poe hugged Brooke around the neck so hard they both started laughing.

  “Where’s Callie?” she asked.

  Brooke smiled and draped her arm around Poe’s shoulders as she stared at her in the mirror. “I don’t know. She got all excited, snatched up your shoes, and ran out of the store. I’m sure she’ll be back soon. But, enough of that crazy bride. Look at you.”

  “I love that it’s strapless.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Now for the pièce de résistance,” Brooke walked over to the counter and picked up a round box and walked back. “I had them deliver this here so that you could try it on with the dress.”

  Poe’s hands were trembling as she pulled the cover off and gently removed the satin top hat with its delicate black netting and big, black plume. She breathed a sigh of pure joy.

  �
�How do you want to wear your hair?”

  “I think really, really curly, with the hat perched to the side and right over my eye.”

  Brooke set it on her head and pinned it on.

  “We were right. The lime green ribbon looks amazing,” Brooke said smugly.

  “She’ll look ferocious from head to toe,” Callie interrupted in a self-satisfied voice, walking over with another box. “Take a look at these.”

  When Poe pulled out the black sandal, she gasped. “Oh my God, these are …I’m speechless.”

  “Glamour meets Goth,” her mother said, smiling. “Stunning.”

  With the 4.5-inch stiletto heel, black Swarovski crystal embellishment, open-toe cutout detailing on the sides, a jagged edge, and a zip fastening at the back, it definitely was an attention-grabbing, fierce shoe, that fit her to a T when she slipped it on.

  Poe looked back at Harper, and saw she was still talking to the owner. She lowered her voice anyway. “Brooke, I think Harper is feeling…left out.”

  “What?” Brooke said surprise on her face. “We’re including her in every part of the wedding, and she’s the maid of honor.”

  “No, not the wedding.”

  Callie slid a glance at Harper, too. “I know what you mean. I saw the way she was looking at us at the pool the other day, and we’ve been so busy with our guys, maybe we’ve neglected her.”

  Brooke frowned. “Damn, I have been preoccupied. I’m so busy with everything. I barely have a chance to turn around. We really don’t get together as much as we used to.”

  “And when we do, she’s a fifth wheel,” Callie said, sympathy in her eyes. “Never thought I’d feel sorry for Harper. She has everything.”

  “Not everything,” Poe said softly. “I think we forget that money doesn’t buy everything.” Brooke and Callie nodded. “There’s something else. Have you seen the way she’s been looking at Nate?”

  “Jared’s brother?” Brooke said.

  “Yes.”

  “He is yummy. All that cowboy charm, dark hair and blue eyes,” Callie added.