A BIG WEEK FOR NEW BOOKS! – Black Velvet Seductions

It has been a tricky week, so many new books out, and I do not want to tread on anyone’s toes. I have been talking about Suzanne Smiths Blog tour. Today I want to talk about Home by Keren Hughes. The release date is 30th September and is available to pre-order now! I love Keren’s stories. I thought Safe was a great read, and her new book Home is a great follow up story, in the Jagged Scars Duet series. I love the way Karen weaves in a tapestry of music and other contemporary details into her stories. It makes for a much deeper and richer read. I want to share the prologue and Chapter one with you.

Prologue

Broken. Battered. Bruised. Neglected by the people that should have loved me the most. They say a parent’s love for a child is unconditional. They say a parent is a protector, there to nurture their children. Pity the same couldn’t be said about mine. My mother lacked the supposedly natural maternal instincts; my father was too wrapped up in himself to be paternal. Neither one of them was any use to anybody. They only ever cared about themselves. Chasing their next high, selling everything we owned of any value so that they could pay off their dealer … that was their life. My life? Well it was … not a ‘normal’ childhood. It was—to me—at the time. I didn’t know any better. It’s only now as a grown man that I can accept that things weren’t right back then.

Love was something I knew nothing of. It was a foreign concept to me. I never received it, so how could I learn to show it to anyone else? What I thought of as love turned out to be toxic, so I’ve gone about my life without opening my heart. I’ve used travel as a coping mechanism for the longest time. As soon as I was old enough to leave school, I got a job and started saving every spare penny I could. I didn’t want to become anything like my parents. I’ve always wanted better for myself. I pushed myself to excel at school. Studied hard, stayed away from parties where there would be drink and drugs. I didn’t want to turn out to be some washed-up junkie, so I made the best of everything offered to me.

Becoming a paramedic was the one thing I really wanted to do when I grew up. I’d always wanted to help people. I knew without a doubt that I wanted to try and make a difference in the lives of others. It was my way of trying to make up for my parents wasting their lives. I thought it was my job to try and make amends for what they had done. Who I was making amends to, I wasn’t sure, I just felt like I had to do something. Those two people were the biggest waste of space, nothing but a big black void that sucked the life out of everything around them.

When my parents abandoned me, I felt lost. I had nobody to guide me. I ended up in care until social services could track down my maternal grandparents. My father had forced my mother to stop speaking to her parents somewhere along the way and I had grown up not knowing them. They took me in when I was fifteen and it was a very bumpy road for a while there. I wasn’t a bad kid—I don’t think—it’s just that I wasn’t used to rules and curfews, love and affection. I was used to having to do everything for myself. I always fed myself, even if it was just stale bread and a can of out of date soup. My damn parents never had much in the way of food in the house. I couldn’t go to a food bank because then people would know what I was. What my parents were. As for clothes, that’s a laugh. I used to have to go to the cashpoint for my mother; she got to a point where she couldn’t even remember her own pin number, her brain was that drug-addled. I’d draw out what little benefits she got, I’d pay the bills, try to put a little food in the cupboards, but clothes were things I took from the lost property box at school or bought with what little of my mother’s money I was able to set aside. I remember thinking it was better to have a uniform for school than it was to eat because I didn’t want people looking at me in ratty clothes and making fun of me or, worse still, the teachers catching wind of there being trouble at home. As much as I detested my parents, I didn’t want to end up in the system, so I did all I could to get by. I ate dinner at school every day; that was something my mother’s benefits afforded me—free school meals.

As it turned out, being in the system wasn’t something I could avoid. The day my parents overdosed was the day I could no longer hide what was going on.

Questions about my life began on that fateful day and, where I’d once kept everything bottled up, I felt I could finally unburden myself on those who were intent on helping me. It took a few days to track down my mother’s parents because they lived in another county to us and I hadn’t known anything useful about them to tell social services. They finally found them and placed me in their care. The foster family I’d had had been nice enough. In fact, they couldn’t do enough for me. I just didn’t know what to do because that wasn’t what I was used to. Clean clothes, clean bedding, food in the cupboards, hot running water … I wasn’t used to any of those things. People who cared where I was, what I was doing … I wasn’t used to that either. It was all so alien to me.

When I moved in with Edie and Albert—or Pops, as he liked to be called—I was so out of my depth. I didn’t have to go and withdraw my mother’s money to pay the bills and make sure we had electric so I could wash my clothes. I didn’t have to go to bed hungry; I could eat until I was fit to burst. Edie and Pops were so openly affectionate towards me and each other, it was unusual for me to see such a happy couple that weren’t wasted, jonesing for their next fix. Edie wasn’t gaunt in the face like Miriam had been. I could see a light in her eyes that had never been present in Miriam’s. She was a very naturally maternal woman. Pops was gruff, strict, made sure I knew to be home by curfew—not that I had many friends to hang out with anyway, I just used to tell them I did so they didn’t have to pity me—but he was loving and had the energy of a man ten years younger.

I learned about love from Edie and Pops. I finally knew what it was supposed to mean. I just still hadn’t felt it. Yes, I’d felt familial love for my grandparents, but that’s not the same, not even remotely. I wasn’t sure I was ready to love anyone anyway. I was still so young and had so much of my life ahead of me. I could really work towards my goal of becoming a paramedic now that I had a stable environment that was conducive to studying. Edie and Pops gave me everything they could, but, as soon as I left school, I attended college and got myself a job so that I could pay my own way. They never would take a penny from me; they told me to put it aside for when I really needed it. So that’s what I did. I worked my ass off, really busted my balls studying and working. Then, when I finally got my diploma for higher education in paramedic sciences, I found I had to bust my balls even harder so that I could get an advanced driving qualification. Pops paid for me to have driving lessons when I turned eighteen. We’d argued about it of course—I’d wanted to pay my own way—but he and Edie wouldn’t hear of it. So I studied hard for my theory and practiced often with Pops so I could pass my practical test. Driving an ambulance is totally different. For a start, you get taught evasive manoeuvres. That bit was fun though, I will admit.

When I decided I wanted more than to be a paramedic—I wanted to pursue search and rescue, maybe water rescue—Edie and Pops were there for me every step of the way. But that’s not to say it was easy. I still didn’t trust people easily and I didn’t have many friends outside of work colleagues. I worked my ass off to learn what I needed to so that I could join the search and rescue team. I spent a while with water rescue after that. All the time, I was putting money aside for my future.

Pops and Edie helped me get a deposit together for an apartment of my own. It was a modest, two-bedroom place in a new build that wasn’t far from their home. They also bought me a car when I turned twenty-one. I splurged and bought myself a motorbike. Edie was worried for my safety, but Pops told her the same thing I did—having learned everything on that advanced driving course, I’d be okay. I still wasn’t used to being cared about, even after all the years Pops and Edie had been in my life. They were the only two people I let close. Until Elise Swanson. But she broke my heart, so I put my apartment up for rent while I took the first of what would be many trips overseas. Travelling became a crutch I leaned on heavily. I could be by myself—which is how I liked things—and I got to see some incredible sights.

My life was finally turning itself around. My hard work was paying off. I had two people who acted like my parents. I had a great job and was finally opening myself up to being friends with some of the other lads on the job.

That’s one thing the job makes you do—you learn to trust and rely on your partner. It’s a necessity in a job like mine. That’s how I met Danny, Luke and Seb. They even came travelling with me sometimes.

I’d just started working at a new hospital and became friends with one of the nurses, Sam, when she said she wanted to set me up on a blind date. I kept saying no. I didn’t want a relationship and random hook-ups were only good for so much. I didn’t want to hurt her friend, knowing I didn’t know how to give anyone my heart.

The walls around my heart were so tall. You couldn’t climb over them, you couldn’t dig a way underneath them. Impenetrable. That’s what they were. I had to be bulletproof. What was the use in loving someone when they’d fuck you over one day, one way or another? I mean, my own parents were the prime example of that. When they were still alive, they beat me for spending money on the bills instead of letting them have more for their habit. They neglected me to the point where I retreated into myself to protect my sanity. They broke me. I thought that my life was slowly piecing me back together, that I was finally on the right track; but I still didn’t have time for a woman.

Sam had other ideas. She showed me a picture of her friend. That red hair was what caught my attention first. My mind flashed back to red hair splayed over my pillow, smelling like shampoo and something that was impossible to name. Drawing my eyes back to the picture on Sam’s phone, I looked over every inch of the woman. She was beautiful, the purest kind of beauty. Red hair, blue eyes, creamy skin … more tattoos than I remembered, but I was sure it was her. I asked Sam her name and, when she told me, that was when my heart beat for the first time in years.

I walked into the bar and saw her immediately. She was everything I remembered and more. That smile as she saw me—it was shy and endearing. A range of emotions flitted across her face and the instant our gazes locked my heart beat for the second time in years. All those old feelings rushed to the surface. Her blue eyes shone brightly and her lips were painted a soft pink. She looked gorgeous in black leggings and a purple tunic style top. As beautiful as she ever was; just the sight of her had my heart beating a little faster.

I knew in that moment, just as I know today, Elise Swanson was going to become my home.

Chapter One

Drew

I’ve been looking forward to tonight for the last two weeks. I haven’t spent time with my wife, just the two of us, in too long. In reality it’s only been a couple of weeks or so, but it feels so much longer. Work has been hectic and, with a six-month-old baby, an eleven year old son and Elise returning to work—even if it is only part-time—we haven’t had any alone time. When we had Cassie, we promised each other that we’d still have ‘date nights’ so that we had some time as Drew and Elise, not just mummy and daddy. I love our children and I love our life, but I also like it when we get Sam and Karl to babysit so we can go to the cinema or for a meal. So many people make the mistake of not making time solely for each other and it leads to marital problems, hence why Elise and I made the promise.

Elise has been diagnosed with mild postnatal depression. It hasn’t affected her bond with Cassie, but it has impacted life in general. She loves our daughter just as much as I do and she is the best mum I’ve ever seen, but there are times when she feels depressed and I make sure to help her the best way I know how. Counselling has helped and, though she didn’t want to at first, she’s accepted taking medication until the doctor says she doesn’t need it anymore.

Elise is such an amazing woman and it’s hard for me to see her feeling so down at times. She suffers from anxiety, so that doesn’t help the situation either. She feels like she isn’t a good enough wife or a good enough mum. I need her to know that she’s wrong. I need her to know how much she means to me, to our family.

The deep purple wraparound dress she’s wearing looks incredible. I rake my eyes over her body, from her head to her painted toenails. She has a great figure—not supermodel stick thin, she’s curvy in all the right places with voluptuous breasts. The dress accentuates her cleavage, but not to a trashy level, in fact, she looks divine. My cock twitches in my boxers and I suddenly don’t feel as hungry as I did moments ago—well, not for food anyway.

I’m pretty sure I’m looking at her the way a man on death row looks at his last meal, salivating and making a fool of myself. Suddenly I’m picturing what she’s wearing underneath the dress, impatiently awaiting the moment I get to strip it from her and make love to her. I thought our sex life might diminish slightly after Cassie was born, but I was wrong. She’s as insatiable as she has always been and the salacious grin across her face right now proves she’s having similar thoughts to me.

“My eyes are up here, Drew,” she says softly.

“Hmm…” is all I can manage to respond.

My gaze locks with hers and I see a twinkle of mirth in her beautiful blue eyes.

“Does my bum look big in this?” she asks as she twirls on the spot.

“Don’t be daft. You look … incredible.”

Why is it every woman is obsessed with their bum looking big in something?

“You don’t scrub up too badly yourself, Mr Wright,” she says, as she makes her way towards me.

I stand and pull her into my arms. The material of her dress feels so soft and silky, but it’s nothing in comparison to the feel of her naked flesh against me. I feel like a hormonal teenage boy right now.

People say we’re just in ‘the honeymoon period’ and it’ll wear off soon, the newness of it will rub off and we’ll be left like every other couple out there. But I know in my heart we aren’t like that. I’m going to feel this way about her forever. I feel it soul deep.

Leaning down, I slant my mouth over her soft, full lips. It’s a sweet kiss, soft, gentle, our tongues dancing rhythmically. My cock stirs to life and I break away before I sweep her off her feet and carry her to our bedroom, lock the door and never leave.

“Hey, it’s a good job LipSense is kiss-proof,” she says with a touch of sass as she pulls a compact mirror from her small clutch to double check and reapply her lip gloss.

What is it with women and their cosmetics? Personally, I like seeing lipstick marks around my cock, but I guess that’s not what it’s about.

Checking the time, I grab my car keys and turn to my beautiful wife.

“We’ll miss our reservation if we don’t get a move on.”

“Two seconds,” she says as she taps something out on her phone. No doubt it’s a text to Sam to make sure Cassie is okay.

Tonight is the first night Cassie will be staying elsewhere overnight. We haven’t left her with anyone except for a couple of hours here and there. We’re both nervous, but I trust Sam implicitly.

Putting her phone in her clutch, Elise walks to the front door, putting an extra sway in her step to tempt me, knowing I love her sexy ass.

I take her hand and walk out to the car. A smile spreads across my face as I imagine her surprise at what I have in store for our anniversary tonight.

***

The private room at Olive Garden looks beautiful. It’s draped in golds and reds with plush comfortable seating and a table set for two. There’s a bucket with a bottle on ice and a waiter standing to one side, ready to pour our first glass.

Elise’s eyes light up as she turns to look at me. From the smile on her face, I can tell she likes my surprise.

On the drive to the restaurant I didn’t tell her where we were going, and she knew better than to keep pestering me for an answer. She knows I’m stubborn and I wouldn’t tell her and risk ruining our evening.

She sits across from me and I see her eyes shine in the candlelight. Her hair looks lustrous as it falls over her shoulders in long red curls. She really is breathtaking.

“This is so beautiful,” she remarks, as the waiter takes the bottle and pours us both a glass of champagne.

“Not as beautiful as you.”

A blush creeps across her chest at the simple compliment. She’s still not used to being told how beautiful she is, even after how long we’ve been together.

We order our food and, when it arrives, it tastes divine, but I can’t help wanting to rush so that we can get home faster. I know it’s our first night without both kids and that I should slow down and savour the moment, so I sit and watch Elise as she talks about the food and the atmosphere here.

I feel a shiver run through me as Elise runs her foot up the inside of my leg. My cock twitches once in response and it’s all I can do not to scoop her up caveman-style, throw some money on the table and race back to my car.

She runs her foot up to my thigh and I groan involuntarily. As her foot reaches my groin, I have to hold myself back from clearing the table in one fell swoop and taking her right here, right now.

Her eyes twinkle mischievously as her foot flexes against my semi-hard cock. She knows just what she’s doing and the delight is evident on her face. I want to move back out of her reach just to see what she’ll do, but I can’t tear myself away from her touch. My lips can form no words, only soft moans.

Her foot shifts abruptly as the waiter re-enters the room. A slight blush spreads across her face as if she’s been caught. Her eyes dance with silent laughter and I discreetly rearrange myself under the cover of the table.

***

We can’t get home fast enough for my liking. I’ve had a great evening, but now I need my wife naked beneath me. For once, we don’t have to lock the bedroom door to stop Caleb accidentally walking in on us. There’s no need to turn the baby monitor on to keep tabs on Cassie.

The house is silent as we open the door. I tell Elise to take a seat in the lounge while I fix us a drink. After pouring her a glass of rosé, I back out of the room with a smile on my face.

Hurrying up the stairs, I pull the bag out of its hiding space, glad that she hasn’t found it. I start placing things where I need them to be. I make sure the iPod is connected to the Bluetooth speaker and turn the volume so that it’s playing softly in the background. I light some candles and scatter rose petals across the bed and the floor. Walking out of the bedroom door, I sprinkle a few more petals from the doorway and down the stairs.

As I walk into the lounge I look at my wife and my heart beats faster in my ribcage, so fast it feels like it’s trying to break free from its constraints. Her red hair spills over her cleavage and her lips part on a sigh.

She places her wine on the coffee table as she sees me approach. Her eyes assess me like she’s trying to figure what my game is.

“Time for an early night, sweetheart,” I tell her in a gentle tone, but one that brooks no arguments.

Elise stands and gives me a soft kiss, but I pull away before she can do much more. I take her hand in mine and walk to the bottom of the staircase.

A soft sigh escapes her as she sees the rose petals. I urge her up the stairs ahead of me. The soft music plays through the bedroom door and I can hear Curtis Stigers singing ‘You’re All That Matters To Me’.

I open the door for Elise and watch her face light up as she sees the room before her. I’ve been planning tonight since I swapped shifts with Danny so that I could have the night with my wife.

“Drew, this is—”

She doesn’t get to finish her sentence because I slant my mouth over hers and gently probe her lips with my tongue, seeking access to deepen our kiss. Goosebumps break out on my skin and I feel the hairs at the nape of my neck stand on end. One touch from her still makes me feel giddy. One touch sets my very soul on fire. I know that we were made for each other and that this is the life I was meant to live. Before Elise came along, my life was more of an existence. But now? Now I am truly alive and I want to make the most of every nano-second of it.

Breaking our kiss, I take her hand and lead her to the bed. I turn her to face me and gently edge her back until the backs of her knees hit the bed and she sits on reflex. I move to remove her shoes; holding her leg in my hand, I place a trail of kisses from her ankle to her knee. She shudders under my touch and I smile to myself.

As I kneel at her feet, I move her dress to one side to kiss further up her legs and am shocked to find that she’s wearing no panties, the little minx. I can’t help the growl that escapes me and the light laughter coming from her means she knows exactly what she’s doing to me. My cock twitches to life and I undo my zipper because it’s straining to be free. I slide my palm down over my shaft to appease the ache, but it only fuels me more when Elise lies back on the bed, her legs spread, showing me her glistening pink pussy.

I look up at my wife sprawled out on our bed and wonder how the fuck I got this lucky. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve her, but I’m damn sure I’m going to make her as happy as she makes me, every day for the rest of our lives.

Sliding my hands up her thighs, I feel her legs quiver under my light touch. I’m not big headed when I say I know what effect I have on her.

A long sigh escapes Elise as I make my move, licking her once. Hands come to my hair and I move to lick her in languid strokes. She whispers a string of expletives as she writhes on the bed.

Palming my cock again, I find no relief. It’s begging to be inside her. But I can’t give in to those urges. I need to see her fall apart from my touch first. I slip a finger inside her and Elise arches her back off the bed. Her warmth is too inviting, so I slip a second finger inside her and feel her buck against my hand, matching my rhythm. Her hands in my hair pull my mouth closer to her, silently pleading with me to give her what she needs. I’ve never been one to say no when it comes to this woman, so I finally give in and move to suck her clit.

“Fuck, Drew…I…”

She doesn’t need to say more for me to know what’s coming. Her walls tighten around my fingers and I increase the pace of them inside her.

“Baby, I’m…I’m going to…”

Hooking my fingers to hit that sweet spot over and over, my baby comes so hard that her legs quake either side of me and her body shudders. I withdraw my fingers and lick her once more, slowly.

Standing over her, I watch her come up to her elbows on the bed. She watches me as I remove my trousers and pull off my shirt. When I’m naked, I take my shaft in my hand and see her pupils dilate as she watches my every move. I jerk my hand up and down a couple of times, pre-cum glistening on the tip. I can’t wait any longer to be inside her. It’s a primal urge, screaming at me.

Elise stands and pulls her dress over her head. She undoes her bra—the only underwear she was wearing—and discards it on the floor. But, just when I think she’s going to lie back down, she grabs a pillow to put under her bad knee and kneels at the foot of the bed.

What my baby wants, my baby gets, so I lie down in front of her and open my legs for her to kneel between.

As she grips my shaft in her hand, I can’t help the groan that escapes my lips, or the involuntary smile that graces them. Leaning up on my elbows, I see a wicked gleam in Elise’s eyes as her tongue darts out to lick the pre-cum from my tip. Her tongue swirls and a delicious feeling spreads throughout me.

Her hand and mouth work in tandem, bringing an almost euphoric feeling with them. She takes me deep in the back of her throat and I moan loudly as she gently cups my balls. I feel a tightening sensation and know I am not far from my own climax. I’m torn between the need to be inside her and the need to come down the back of her throat. My body betrays my mind as she grips me firmly and her mouth moves up and down over me. Moments later, I feel myself come in hot spurts down her throat, coating her tongue. Her name is like a prayer and a curse on my tongue as I shout it out into the night.

As she licks the tip of me clean, she smiles that salacious grin of hers. I help her onto the bed and lay her beside me.

We’re wrapped around each other in a tangle of limbs. I’m sated, yet not nearly sated enough. I’ll need a few minutes to be ready to go again. Real life isn’t like you see on television or read about in romance novels; I can’t just be ready at the click of my fingers, much as I wish I could. But, in this moment I don’t care. I’m lying here with my beautiful wife in my arms, knowing there’s nowhere on earth I’d rather be.

Tracing circles on her back with one hand, I cup the other to her cheek and draw her in for kiss. What’s meant to be a soft, sweet kiss turns into more. Elise’s mouth claims mine in a fiery, passionate kiss. I feel like she’s all I need to breathe and, for a moment, I feel dizzy, hypnotised by the power she wields. It’s only when I lose myself completely in Elise that I find myself. The emptiness inside me fades and disappears. She fills the empty parts of me and breathes new life into them. It’s in moments like this that I understand what it means to have a soulmate. Her soul calls to mine—maybe because we’ve both had so much hurt in our lives and our souls recognise that in each other. It sings its siren song and I am powerless to resist it. But I find that I wouldn’t want to resist it, even if I could.

***

After a night of making love to my wife time and time again—including around three a.m. when she woke me and stirred the desire flooding my veins—I wake up in her arms. I catch a glimpse of sunlight shining down on her face and I take a moment to appreciate her natural beauty. She’s relaxed in sleep and looks peaceful. For once, she won’t be woken by Cassie and I don’t need to be at work until this evening. Moving to cup her breast in my hand, I run my thumb over her newly pierced nipple. I was shocked when she had it done a few weeks ago but now I love it. Almost as much as I love her tongue piercing. Her breathing changes and I know I’m drawing her from her slumber. Maybe I’m a selfish prick and should have left her to sleep for once, but I’m hard and horny. Plus, she woke me at three this morning, so it’s only fair to get my payback.

Leaning down, I trace circles around her nipple piercing with my tongue. I feel her gently tug my hair to bring my face up to hers. The look in her eyes says she doesn’t mind being woken so rudely and I’m guessing she wants to make the most of our kid-free time.

I claim her lips with mine and gently coax them open with the tip of my tongue. The kiss starts soft and sweet, but Elise soon deepens it. It’s passionate, intense and breathtaking.

A soft hand gently takes hold of my cock, the contact making me gasp and shudder. I feel like a teenager being touched for the first time. As I harden, she grips me more firmly and rubs her finger over the tip, smearing the pre-cum that glistens there.

Her kiss is more fervent and I can feel my heart pounding. I roll us so that she is beneath me. I want so much to be buried inside her—it’s like an ingrained need. Sex isn’t just sex with us, it’s making love. Whether it’s a ‘quickie’ or something more, it’s always done with all the love my heart has feared feeling for so long. I kiss my way along her jawline to her ear where I nip her gently and carry on kissing down to the hollow of her throat before moving further down to the swell of her cleavage. I take one taut nipple in my mouth whilst I brush my thumb over the one with the piercing. Feeling Elise’s hand in my hair—her silent plea for me to bite her just the way she likes—I gently bite her nipple. The moan it elicits makes my cock ache. Slipping a finger between her folds, I find her wet and ready for me. I’ve never asked why, but she likes being bitten, sometimes I’ve even left her with a sort of bruise or lovebite.

Gently I push one finger inside her, making her arch her back slightly off the bed. I know I’ve hit the spot when she moans loudly, so I add a second finger and hit the spot with a touch more force.

“Drew…” she says on a sigh.

“Yes, baby?”

“Harder.”

Just that one word from her makes my pulse spike. I work her harder and faster, sucking and biting her nipple before crashing my mouth to hers. Feeling her walls tighten around my fingers, I know what’s going to happen. I rub my thumb over her clit and within moments, she’s coming in waves.

Positioning myself over her, I see her watch as I lick the essence of her from me. There’s something about me doing that which makes her horny as hell. I feel the wicked grin spread across my face and see it reflected in hers.

Her soft hand reaches down to guide me into her. She’s impatient this morning, but then so am I.

I push into her, wanting to hold back and make her wait, but at the same time not wanting to wait a moment longer myself. It’s inexplicable how she feels around me. The best word is intoxicating. I’ll never stop wanting her and never get enough of her.

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