Page 151 of Beautiful Revenge

I let go of Harlow and swing our oldest up into my arms, giving her a little toss in the air before she settles. “Hello, love. I missed you.”

She wraps her little arms around my neck and holds on tight. “I wanna play outside but Mommy has a meeting.”

Before I have the chance to answer, Collins waddles over and lands on my Italian loafer. “Da-da!”

I bend and pick her up with one hand, boost her into my other arm, and blow on her neck. She cackles and wiggles in my hold.

I give them both a bump in my arms and look down at my wife. “I’ll change and take them outside so you can have some peace and quiet for your meeting. Is this the big one with your family and the board?”

She wipes her hands and tosses the kitchen towel to the counter. “It is. I’m prepared but I’m also nervous. I feel like it’s going to be half and half. There are those who will support Dad’s decisions no matter what, but others who want to fight this. But since we retain a majority of the shares...”

She lets that thought trail off.

I smirk. “So what you’re saying is this meeting is a formality.”

She bites her lip and lifts a shoulder. “We still want everyone to feel good about it.”

“I’m pretty sure no one cares about that but you, baby.” I chuckle and lean down for a quick kiss, before I put Cora down and hand Collins over to her mama. “Give me two minutes. I’ll take over. Oh, we have other things to talk about tonight.”

Her brows pinch. “Is something wrong?”

I shake my head. “Not wrong. I’ll explain later when thegirls are down for the night. I need your undivided attention for that and other things.”

“You have piqued my curiosity ... for that and other things. I can’t wait.”

Harlow

It doesn’t matter what’s going on with life.

Babies, family, chickens, the board of directors, or my growing family.

When we’re like this, my husband makes me forget about the world. It’s not unlike that original contract I agreed to when I was drawn to the not-so-gentlemanly Brit and needed a distraction from life.

I’ve already come once, but when he thrusts into me from behind, hitting that place inside that is different, deep, and perfect, I see stars.

Devon buries his face in the side of my hair. “Fuck, baby. The way you come on my cock drives me mad.”

I gasp and grip the sheets below me, overcome by my orgasm. Devon loses control and takes me unabandoned. I’m here for it.

He plunges into me three more times before giving me his weight. I collapse to the bed and Devon follows, buried deep within me. We take a moment to come down from the high of each other. When we’re like this, I can’t help but think back to where we started and how far we’ve come. I love the simple life we’ve created in Winslet—with Devon and our babies—and if nothing ever changes from the way it is this minute, I’ll live a happy life.

Devon presses his lips to my temple the way he does so many times when we’re like this. “So it’s official? The Madisons will continue leading Stonebridge for another generation?”

“In one form or another, I guess. The vote was close, butit went the way we thought it would. I’ll be an advisor, for what that’s worth. I think the board had more of an issue moving corporate to the west coast than the future leadership. I guess you could say it’s set in stone. Public announcements will be made tomorrow. Dad feels confident he can convince stockholders this is the best thing for the company.”

“That’s good, baby. I’m proud of you. I know you don’t want to take on that role.”

“It’s okay. I need to do it for our family, the girls, and my father’s legacy. It’s important. But it’s your turn. You distracted me before I had the chance to ask you about your news.”

He pulls out, climbs off me, and forces me to roll to my side to face him. He swipes the hair from my face. “I got a call today from a real estate agent in Montana.”

I frown because I don’t like the sound of real estate or anywhere other than where we’re at. “What about and why are they calling you?”

“He has a piece of property he can’t sell. It has potential, but no one wants to take on the scope of it.”

My insides clench, “Devon?—”

He shakes his head. “No, baby. I’ll never ask you to move. Winslet is our home.Thisis our home.”