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Chapter 4
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Reciprocity Chapter 5
The countdown was on—three days. We still needed to finish up the workweek before boarding a plane, and my insides felt like a ticking time bomb.That was probably why Drew, Caroline, Nathan, and I all went out to lunch—to relax. We’d decided on a sandwich shop not far from the office, specializing in grilled subs and fresh-cut fries. Drew drove Caroline and me, while Nathan was a few minutes behind due to a meeting with a client.After ordering for Nathan and myself, I searched for a table for the four of us. The restaurant was pretty empty, being that it was mid-week, so there were lots of options. I found one and waited for the others to join me.“So, are you changing your name, hyphenating, or keeping Palmer?” Drew asked as he took the seat across from me. He’d learned fast that the seat beside me was reserved for Nathan.I shook my head like mad. “Hell, no… Am I keeping Palmer?” I scoffed. It wasn’t hard to imagine where the anger stormed from for a name that’d been mi
Reciprocity Chapter 6
Meeting with the event coordinator, Marie, went smoothly. She was a petite brunette with a curvy figure, round face, and wide, bright green eyes that stood out against her tanned skin. Her bubbly and open personality set me at ease the moment we met.She’d done a great job asking all the questions in the few short weeks before the wedding and rolling it all together in time. Granted, I wasn’t a bridezilla. I let her fill in a lot of the blanks. In the end, I had a feeling she liked having the freedom to plan a wedding for a bride who wasn’t so specific on every single detail. Especially with the short timeline.Marie snapped her binder closed and stood after going over everything with us. “All right, I’ll see all of you back here in two hours for the dress rehearsal. Hopefully you can round up the men by then.” She snickered and waved as she headed back to her office.I was so happy to have her. She’d made the whole process so much easier and kept me from having a panic atta
Reciprocity Chapter 7
I stood in front of a mirror, all alone, staring at a vision that wasn’t the normal me. My hair was done in a low, loose bun with a white rose and some baby’s breath. There was no more makeup than I usually had on, but combined with the dress and my hair, I looked foreign to myself.Five minutes after Caroline ushered Teresa out, the anxiety was intensifying. My mind couldn’t get over the fact that it was really happening. I had to be dreaming.“They’re ready for you,” Marie said as she held out a bouquet of white roses.I wrapped my fingers around the base, then took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. She drew back the curtain, and I stepped out onto the sand. My arms shook out the tension that was building before I took another step. After all, what did I have to be nervous about? I was getting married, and I was happy.We made it.Against all odds and every obstacle we encountered, Nathan and I were going to be a family in a few short moments. There were more trials
Reciprocity Chapter 8
NathanWaking up in paradise was bittersweet. It was the last day of our honeymoon, and we were heading back to Indianapolis in a few short hours. Lila was snuggled into my side, naked, as the sounds of the ocean filled my ears and the warmth of the sun coming through the windows heated my skin.A part of me wanted to stay. If we were two thousand miles away, Marconi would never know what transpired a week ago. Going home meant the possibility, a very good one, of him finding out about Lila. No matter how much I tried to beat back the fear, it still sat in the back of my mind—the beast prowling in his iron cage. He knew and tore at my insides to remind me. My chest tightened at just the thought of it all.I stroked my fingers up and down her arm, staring at the white gold band on my hand, still in awe that I’d done it.“Fuck. Me,” I whispered as I watched the ring on my finger while my hand drifted up her side.She twitched, but otherwise she kept still and was completely
Reciprocity Chapter 9
The alarm went off, blaring in my ear, and I groaned as I slapped my hand down on it. I stared at the time, sighing as I registered it was Monday and we really did have to get up.Going back to work was rough. Being on vacation had been a heaven of sorts, and reality was brutal, making me appreciate every moment away that much more.Granted, it wasn’t all bad—Lila was with me. My wife.“Come on, get up,” I said as I yawned, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and stretching.She whimpered, face down in her pillow. “Only if you promise Starbucks.”I snickered. “Trust me, baby, I don’t want to leave this bed either. And I promise we’ll stop.”Her head tilted up and she huffed, blowing the wild strands of hair from her face. She was pouty and grumpy, making her fucking adorable and my urge to hug her ferocious.With a growl and a graceless stiffness, I jumped on top of her. She squeaked, trapped beneath me. I nibbled at her neck, biting like an animal, making her writ
Reciprocity Chapter 10
Later that day, I worked my way through an easier case file, when my email pinged with a new message from Lawrence, the prosecutor in Adam’s case. My eyes scanned over the message, and I cursed. Not news I needed to hear after such a wonderful week in paradise.My knee bounced as I stared at the screen. The news was fucking up all of our hopes. It seemed that a dark cloud was now crashing down on us. I stood, throwing the door open and walking as fast as I could down the hall. I slammed my hand down on the open door, startling both the occupants of the large office.Lila stared up at me. “Nate?”“We need to take a break.”My agitation must have been obvious, because she nodded and locked her computer. She looked over to Owen as she grabbed her jacket and swung it on. “I’ll be back.”My fingers tangled with hers as soon as she reached me, and I practically dragged her down the hall. I pressed the call button for the elevator over and over, but she didn’t say a word. One fin
Reciprocity Chapter 11
“That’s it, Nathan!” Jared, my instructor, said, slapping his padded, gloved hands together. “Again.”Left, right, left, elbow, knee—breathe and repeat. Ten times each side. I was counting in the front of my mind, but in the back I was going over everything Noah had told us over dinner.Dirty cops were being bribed by Marconi to turn a blind eye and destroy evidence in a new case against him. He’d hired men to follow around those involved in the case, including me. The longer I thought about it, the more my anxiety grew, because they could already know about my marriage.I’d put Lila in danger.I punched at Jared’s gloved hand, channeling the crippling fear that was starting to creep in. Over and over, harder and harder I threw my body against him. My muscles protested, but I couldn’t stop—I needed the outlet before I spun out. I couldn’t hear anything but the thoughts rattling around in my head.Would they come after us? Would I be able to protect Lila? What happened if I
Reciprocity Chapter 12
Ever since we’d talked to Noah, I’d been on edge. My life was turning into a happy place again, but the threat I lived with for years was reawakening, trying to ruin it all. The vibrating anxiety pumped through my veins again, and the beast inside me prowled, growling at me to take Lila and run.Matters were made worse when an old, familiar tingling sensation from someone watching me reared their forgotten head. I wasn’t certain, but it wasn’t the first time since the New Year it’d happened, and now I knew why.Lila’s eyes watched me, probably waiting for me to burst. Not that I could blame her—I knew I was losing control. I could only guess how I looked on the outside. It was so bad that Darren wanted me to try meditation.Meditation.Fuck that. They only meditation I needed was my dick in Lila’s pussy. It was the only way to calm my ass down. Unfortunately, getting off inside and on my wife wasn’t providing the relief it used to. I wasn’t getting the mind-wiping hours of
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