One Last Touch Read online

  Copyright © 2018 by Lauren Wood

  All rights reserved.

  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 written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  This book is for mature readers. It contains sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which may be considered offensive by some.

  All sexual activity in this work is consensual and all sexually active characters are 18 years of age or older.

  ONE LAST TOUCH

  A CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE AUTHOR

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  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Epilogue

  BE MY FOREVER (SAMPLE)

  A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  DESCRIPTION

  One wild night in college, was the best lover I’d ever had.

  Cal made me scream till I was hoarse and begging for more at the same time.

  Then it was over, and I never saw him again.

  He was always the man in the back of my mind.

  Cal was the measuring stick to the next one.

  He’s standing in front of me now, as sexy and devilish as ever.

  It took me a minute to place him.

  It’s been so long, and he wasn’t supposed to be here.

  I was here for a wedding, not Cal.

  I try to deny the attraction.

  I try to refuse the draw.

  But it’s impossible to say no to Cal.

  I just don’t want to.

  There is no stopping the change my body made when I see him.

  It had always been this way.

  His hard body is more sculpted than ever.

  Cal’s smile still makes me weak at the knees.

  Those lips had me thinking about all kinds of naughty things.

  Too naughty to say out loud.

  This is the control he has over me.

  And he doesn’t even have to do a thing.

  I naturally want back in his arms.

  And back in his bed, where anything was possible.

  ***

  Prologue

  Cal

  “So, who is Jessica’s friend over there?”

  Dennis looked to where I was pointing and smiled.

  “That’s Mariss. She just moved here a couple of weeks ago and starts classes soon. She is hot as fuck, isn’t she?”

  It was an understatement and I took in the short, raven-haired beauty in front of me. She was the type of girl that every woman wanted to be, and every man wanted to be with. Mariss was sexy as hell and I had to go talk to her. This wasn’t the thing that I usually did at a party. It had just started, I was still sober, and I didn’t like to tie myself down for the night. But a woman like Mariss was enough to make me have a good night. I wasn’t going to find better, no matter how many girls I saw or how drunk I got.

  “Is she single?”

  I was asking the question as I started walking towards her. It didn’t matter the answer to that question. Not really. I was still going to pursue her, but I just wanted to know what angle to go with.

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  That was good enough for me. I was close enough to get her attention and I smiled her way. That was usually enough for most women.

  “Hi.”

  I stopped in front of her and the two other girls that she was talking to. She smiled at me and said hello back.

  “Do I know you?”

  “No, but that is something that we’re going to have to change.”

  “Is it?”

  She had a smile on her face and there was a dimple on the left side as she smiled. Her eyes were a light yellowish brown. They looked almost the color of amber and as I got closer, they looked like there was a flame inside of them that was dancing there.

  “Yes, we are. Dance?”

  Mariss looked to her friends and they made a nod. I didn’t know what that meant, but she agreed, so I was going to take it as they were approving. If they knew my intention they wouldn’t have been so easy to agree.

  “So, you are?”

  I had her in my arms, moving her around the small area that people were dancing in, mainly guys like me trying to get a feel. I hadn’t even told her who I was, my name, nothing because none of that mattered. What mattered was that she was in my arms and I was able to feel her soft curves under my hands.

  Mariss was slim, but when I got my hands on her, I could feel her womanly curves and they went on for days. She was far fuller in some areas than I had first thought. This girl was hot as hell and I was ready to take her upstairs and find a place where we could be alone.

  “I’m Cal. You might have heard of me.”

  “No, I don’t think so. Why would I hear of you?”

  My ego was taking a beating already. “I’m the football captain for UA.”

  “Oh, well I don’t really follow sports, so I wouldn’t know that. I just moved here and even when I do start going here, I doubt I will ever go to a game.”

  I put my hand to my heart like she was breaking it and I have to say that it was refreshing. I got sick of woman trying to pretend that they liked football because I played it. It was flattering, but kind of aggravating all at the same time because I would take them to a game or something like that and they would totally flake out on me. It was good to know that Mariss didn’t care one way or another. At least now I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to impress her with my standing in the team. That was a shame because that was usually a good way into most girl’s panties on campus. My goal was very clear and that was the results that I wanted.

  “I’m sure you have enough admirers. There are three girls looking at you right now. You’d have better luck with one of them. They seem to already be in your awe.”

  “My awe?”

  She giggled. “Yeah, you know the whole, football captain thing you got going on with the jacket and all of that. I don’t really dig jocks.”

  “So, what do you dig?”

  “Real men with hair on their chest. I bet you don’t have any.”

  “Do you want to see?”

  She smiled and told me that she was fine. It wasn’t though. She was toying with me, but I didn’t like it. I took her hand and before she could protest I put it underneath my shirt and let her touch the hairs and the hardness underneath. If she wasn’t impressed with my skill on the field, then maybe I could get her attention by the hardness of my pecs. I was open to new ideas.

  Mariss surprised me because she didn’t pull her hand back embarrassed like I thought she
would. She started to play with one of my nipples and I was the one that jumped.

  “I see you have a little hair. That doesn’t mean you’re a man.”

  She was really messing with me now. I was getting all worked up and I grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs. Mariss was laughing.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “I’m taking you upstairs to show you how much of a man I am.”

  She tugged her arm back. “I’m not having sex with you. I barely know you.”

  I had a reputation on campus and I was sure that she was going to hear it sooner or later, but I wanted the former and I moved her hand to the hard place between my legs. I was hard as a rock from her teasing and playing around. She was having way too much fun dangling what I wanted above me, just out of reach.

  Mariss gasped and again I moved my hand quickly away and hers stayed without me having to do anything. She was grabbing a handful of my cock and she made a soft whimpering sound that set me on edge. It was one of the sexiest sounds that I’d ever heard.

  “I see.”

  “So, do you want to see what other good qualities that I have?”

  Now I had her attention and her hand was still on my dick. She was making it so hard that it hurt it was throbbing so much.

  “Like?”

  “I’m a show and tell kind of guy. Do you want me to show you what sort of talents I have Mariss?”

  Mariss bit her bottom lip and then looked back at the party going on downstairs. “You’re going to give me a reputation before I even get started here.”

  “I hope so.”

  She didn’t take much to get her to agree to go with me and I was thankful for that. Her light touch and sound had me going a little crazy. I don’t know what it was about this girl, but she had me harder and hornier than I ever remember being before. We got to one of the bedrooms that wasn’t occupied, and I pulled her in, closing and locking the door behind us. I didn’t want anyone to come in and ruin what I was sure was going to be a good night.

  When I turned back around, Mariss was lying back on the bed and she had a come hither look on her face. She curled her finger towards me and I was lost for anything else to do but come as she suggested. I moved towards her, not believing my luck.

  Chapter 1

  Cal

  “Where is your mind at today?”

  “Hell, I don’t know Jesse. I was just thinking about this girl from a long time ago. I saw a woman that looked like her earlier, same black hair and slim build, but it wasn’t her. It got me thinking about her though.”

  “Well pay attention. You have a lot to decide on today and Marsha isn’t going to be so happy with us if we don’t get it done.”

  “She’s not happy with me most of the time.”

  “Then remind me why you two are getting married?”

  “Well for one, I asked, and she said yes.”

  Jesse nodded and waited for two. This was the tricky part and of course it was the main reason that I was going through with marrying Marsha. She was my boss’ daughter. I knew better back then that Marsha was off limits, but I hated the idea of not being able to have someone, anyone and I had pursued her hard until she’d given me the time of day. It was no small feat.

  Now if I walked away like I thought about daily, I was going to have to find another job, not to mention her father would black-ball me from the industry for sure.

  “And two, Malcolm.”

  Jesse understood my predicament and I didn’t have to explain any further.

  “And she does give good head.”

  Jesse just grinned. “Well you were always one to make the best out of situation, but damn I can’t believe you’re wanting to get married. I never thought I would see the day.”

  “Me either, but it doesn’t matter. Nothing will really change except she will just stay over instead of leaving in the morning.”

  My friend shook his head and told me that I had a messed-up view of marriage. He was getting married as well, but it was Jesse that was going first. His marriage was more of love than convenience. We’d been together too long not to marry her, but there wasn’t the sort of love that there was supposed to be. There couldn’t be because I wasn’t in love with Marsha. I was pretty sure that she wasn’t in love with me either, just the money and the status.

  Now I was at a tuxedo rental place and I was supposed to pick out a suit that went with her theme. I didn’t care what I wore, if she didn’t complain about it. I wish she would just pick it out herself, but she insisted that I be a part of it. It didn’t seem right, but this was how it was supposed to be. I would have rather been doing anything else than this.

  “You think this is bad. Anna’s friend, the one that is going to be the bridesmaid is coming down tonight and she will be staying with us for the next week.”

  “What does she look like?”

  I was curious because in truth I was always on the prowl.

  “I don’t know, but she’s not Marsha, your soon-to-be wife, so it doesn’t matter.”

  I sighed to myself. He may understand a lot of things, but he didn’t understand this. Jesse was head over heels in love with his bride to be and they were perfect together. I met some girl years before that I thought would be perfect for me, but then she disappeared without a trace. That was a long time ago, but every now and then I started thinking about Mariss and all the what-ifs. Sometimes it was the idea that if I couldn’t have her, I didn’t want anyone. So, to marry someone I didn’t love didn’t seem like that big of an idea.

  “When is Anna going to get her?”

  “In a little I must go get her from the station, though I don’t know why she didn’t just fly in. She’s worth a lot. Anna is working, and she doesn’t want Mariss to have to take a cab. I don’t see the big deal, but whatever. You want to ride along with me and keep me company?”

  “Are you afraid to be alone with her?”

  “No, I just don’t want to go alone. Come on, it will be fun.”

  It didn’t sound like it was going to be that much fun. Anna didn’t really like me most of the time. She told Jesse that I was a bad influence on him and maybe she was right. Jesse did seem to get into more trouble with me, but that was because we were around each other a lot. It was bound to happen, and it wasn’t anything wrong with that.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well you can stay here like a good little boy and pick out the stuff for the wedding then.”

  I gave him a dirty look and grabbed my coat. He knew that I didn’t care if she was mad. I just didn’t. I should, but I didn’t. it was just that simple. It didn’t take much to get me to agree to go with him.

  We got into his truck and headed to the train station on the other side of the city. The traffic was heavy, so it took longer than we’d anticipated. Anna called twice, making sure that we hadn’t fucked off somewhere. It was one of those times where she showed how she truly felt about me because I could hear comments coming from her about me.

  He hung up and looked at me guiltily. “You didn’t hear that, right?”

  We both knew that I had, but I wasn’t going to bring it up. Anna had him wrapped around her little finger, but he was happy, so I didn’t give Jesse too bad of a time about it. I was glad he’d found someone, even if it did leave me as a third wheel sometimes. We went on double dates once and a while, and it was clear what me and Marsha had was nothing like the two of them had. Maybe that was the cost, although to me the cost just seemed too high for comfort.

  “Nope not a word.”

  “She’s a little wired up with Mariss coming in. I don’t know what the deal is with the two of them, but they’ve known each other a long time and as soon as Anna knew that we were getting married, Mariss was the first person that she called. I had a feeling that this woman is going to be a pain in my ass. I already had to move all my stuff out of the guest bedroom so that she could stay there. I will be happy when the wedding is over, and everyone goes home.”

>   I had to laugh at him because he hadn’t been engaged long. Anna had made it happen so fast that I had to up my game with Marsha in comparison.

  “You just want Anna all to yourself.”

  “You’re damn right I do. I can’t get enough of her.”

  I was jealous in a way, but that didn’t matter. I could be happy and jealous all at the same time. I hoped I could anyways, because I’d been feeling dual emotions for a long time since he told me that he was getting married. I had announced, or rather Marsha had announced our coming nuptials not a week before that.

  “Well let’s go pick her friend up so you’re not in the dog house tonight.”

  He grinned at me and waved me off. We both know that he probably already was, and he didn’t seem to mind. If he was with Anna, that seemed to be the only thing that really mattered to Jesse anymore.

  We stopped in front of the station and looked around for a woman waiting out front. That’s where Anna said she would be and that she would have a red coat on. It didn’t take long for my eyes to scan the groups and crowds to find out where she was. I pointed to the woman and I heard Jesse call out to her. At that point, I hadn’t known her name, but the one being hollered out was rather familiar.

  “Mariss?!”

  My head snapped back to the figure and waited for her to look up. Silently I was telling her to look up. She did, and my heart stopped. What were the odds?

  Chapter 2

  Mariss

  I heard my name being called and I recognized the man that was waving me over from pictures that Anna had sent me. I couldn’t believe that she was getting married, to this guy. I wanted to get to know him and I wanted to make sure that he was going to be good for my friend. My other best friend was now hitched and loving life. I wanted the same for Anna. She was the type that had thought about marriage before she thought about boys.

  When I got closer though, I saw that Jesse wasn’t alone and it took me a minute as I was walking up to the pair of men for me to realize that I knew the man standing next to him, but I couldn’t place him. His dark eyes were on me and I was finding it hard to look away. A shiver ran through me and I instantly knew who it was in front of me. It was that guy I’d met at a party. We had a wild night and then that was that. I ended up having to leave school because of family problems. I never went back to the school and I never got to see Cal again.