Page 53 of The Good Girl Effect (Salacious Legacy #1)

Camille

I ’m standing by Jack’s side as he rings the doorbell. His hand winds around my waist, and I glance up at him with love in my eyes. This is really happening. We’re actually doing this.

It’s not quite the same as announcing our relationship at a sex club. This is showing his friends and family that we are a real couple, not a nanny or a sub or anything like that. I’m his girlfriend, and we are in love.

This isn’t Legacy. This is Julian and Amelia’s parents’ home for the Christmas Eve party.

The door opens a moment later, and a beautiful blond woman who looks like the spitting image of Amelia opens the door. She has long, platinum hair and stunning blue eyes and doesn’t look nearly old enough to have kids Julian and Amelia’s age.

“It’s Jack!” she calls, rushing toward him and pulling him into a tight hug.

After the hug, he places a comforting hand at the small of my back. “Daisy, this is my girlfriend, Camille.”

“Of course!” she calls out excitedly. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“And what about me?” Bea asks from my side.

“Buzz, buzz, little Bea,” Daisy says, kneeling down to tap her on the nose. “How could I forget you? Want to come inside and help me put up the Nativity?”

Bea nods excitedly. Daisy takes her hand, and they scurry off together, leaving Jack and I to walk into the party alone. There is already a crowd of people here, and I know just about everyone.

We’re greeted by Phoenix, Amelia, Weston, and even the bartender, Geo, who owns the bar down the street from the club. Matis is standing near the fireplace with another older gentleman, who I assume is Julian and Amelia’s much older father, Ronan.

When I hear a shrieking sound, I freeze in place. A moment later, Elizabeth nearly knocks me over as she tackles me with a hug.

Getting an abrasive hug from just anyone would be shocking, but to get one from Elizabeth is even more so.

“Relax, Lizzie,” Jack says as he takes my hand.

She grabs my shoulders, and I can tell immediately that she’s even tipsier than when we shared a bottle of wine.

“I knew he’d get his shit together,” she says before punching her brother in the arm. Then she turns toward me and smiles. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Who let her near the eggnog?” Jack asks with a laugh.

“Don’t judge me,” she argues, trying to keep up her mean facade and failing. “I’m celebrating.”

Phoenix approaches us and gives me a hug. “I’m glad you’re here,” she says.

“What happened to her?” Jack asks, glancing at his sister.

Phoenix only shrugs. “One thing about Elizabeth is she only lets loose around people she trusts, and I think she’s just happy to have everyone together.”

“Yeah, it is nice,” Jack adds. “Too bad your sister couldn’t make it.”

“You have a sister?” I ask, glancing at the redhead.

She smirks. “Yeah, a twin sister, not identical.”

Jack chuckles. “They couldn’t be more different.”

“She and her boyfriend, Liam, are backpacking through Europe somewhere. I was hoping they’d make it here by Christmas, but I guess not.”

Elizabeth rejoins the conversation, handing me a glass of champagne.

Glancing around the room, I realize how lucky these people are to have each other.

I had only one person in my family, and when I lost him, I felt so alone in the world.

I tried not to let it show, and I did my best to build armor around myself so I never had to feel that loneliness.

But now, they are pulling me in and making me one of them.

“Camille, look!” Bea calls from another room.

I follow the sound of her voice into a large formal living room where she and Daisy are setting up a small terra-cotta Nativity scene. My father and I had a similar one in our home.

“It’s beautiful,” I say.

Daisy strokes Bea’s hair before kissing her on the cheek, and it warms my heart to see her so loved by so many.

“My kids haven’t given me grandbabies yet,” Daisy says. “So I’m very glad we have this little Bumblebee.”

Bea giggles as Daisy pulls her into her lap and tickles her. I don’t know much about Amelia yet since I haven’t had the chance to get to know her, but I find it very unlikely that Daisy’s son, Julian, will give her grandkids anytime soon.

Speak of the devil, he walks into the room and watches us with his arms crossed over his chest. “I’ve been sent in to let you both know that dinner is ready.”

“Oh, perfect,” Daisy says as she climbs off the floor. I watch as she wraps her arms around her son’s shoulders and plants a kiss on his cheek. Biting back my smile, I can spot the moment his harsh demeanor fades and a hint of softness shines through.

The cruel prince isn’t so cruel after all.

When Daisy leaves the room, I glance up at where Julian is still hovering nearby. He’s scowling again. There are a lot of things I’d like to say to him about how he treated me before, but I don’t want to start it now. I have a feeling with Julian, it wouldn’t be a simple conversation.

Then, to my surprise, he quietly murmurs, “I’m sorry for sticking my nose where it didn’t belong.”

My head twists up toward him.

“I have a very bad habit of just being too…” When his words fade without finishing his sentence, I do it for him.

“Too much?”

His brows lift, the scowl disappearing. “Yeah.”

A small huff escapes my lips as I reply, “Me too. It’s okay. I forgive you.”

His sigh is audible as his tension melts away. The scent of pine and spice fills the room, music playing in the distance as he relaxes.

“Look, Julian. I made the Nativity,” Bea says.

With a smile, he leans down and ruffles her hair. “You did a great job, Bumblebee. Now, come eat. Both of you.”

Then he disappears from the room. He’ll probably never bring this up again, and that’s fine. I have a feeling the rivalry between him and Jack isn’t as fierce as it once was or as much as he’d like everyone to believe it is.

I see a warm side of him that he so desperately wants to hide.

Bea and I join the rest of the family in the enormous dining room. As Jack pulls out a seat for me, I sit down, and he takes the one by my side.

For the first time in my life, I am a part of something bigger than me: a bright future and a loving family.

Bea is cuddled between us in red satin pajamas. She’s snoring quietly as Jack reads The Night Before Christmas . In the living room, there’s a small plate of cookies next to a glass of milk. The Yule log burns in the fireplace, and three stockings hang from the mantel.

Noticing that his daughter is asleep, Jack sets the book down and glances up at me. We’ve hardly had a moment alone since the train station this morning. I’m eager to have him to myself.

After we both ease out from Bea’s bed without waking her, we meet in the hallway. He quietly pulls her door closed before turning toward me.

Finally alone, his eyes find mine, and I know he’s feeling the same thing I am.

Reaching for me, he takes my hand and pulls me toward him for a kiss. His arms wind around my waist, hoisting me off the floor.

Getting lost in the kiss, he murmurs against my lips, “I want you upstairs in the room waiting for me.”

I pull away and stare up at him as I’m assaulted by a heated arousal low in my belly.

Holding my waist, he tugs me against him as he adds, “Naked.”

“Yes, my love,” I reply softly.

Pulling away from his arms, I walk up the stairs. There’s a buzz of anticipation under my skin. It feels like ages since I’ve been bound up by him. I miss the calm connection between us. I miss feeling his fingers work and the control of his movements.

When I reach the room, I get to work removing my clothes and tossing them in a basket in the corner. Once I am completely naked, I kneel in the middle of the room and wait for him.

His footsteps on the stairs make me moist with excitement. My heart hammers faster in my chest, and it reminds me of the first night I met him up here. The way it felt to know we were crossing a line and indulging in things we shouldn’t.

Now I’m free to have him as much as I want forever. It feels like a dream.

When the door opens, I turn my gaze down to the floor and wait. He walks into the room steadily and stops behind me. As he braids my hair, I get lost in the movement.

Once he’s done, he tugs on my braid, forcing my face up toward him. He smiles down at me, and I smile back.

It’s just us.

“A simple bind tonight,” he says as he strokes my head. “I just need to be inside you.”

“I’m yours,” I whisper in return.

I am his, and he is mine. This is our promise to each other.

It means that no matter what life throws at us or what we face, we will always have a safe space to return to. I will be his comfort and his home.

And he will be my family.

Jack slowly unbuttons his shirt and pulls it from his shoulders. He’s building the suspense, making me wait, just like how our relationship started. The agony of wanting and waiting makes the payoff that much better.

I watch as he opens the door of the wardrobe and pulls out the rope. Kneeling in front of me, he binds my hands. Just feeling his deft movements as he loops, knots, and ties my wrists together feels like home. It’s a loose bind around my wrists, like wearing a pair of handcuffs.

“Kiss me, please,” I beg when he’s done. One tug on my bound hands, and I’m jerked toward him. My lips land against his, and he kisses me with passion and desire.

“Take out my cock,” he mutters against my mouth.

Reaching down, I work open the button of his pants. It’s awkward with the ropes around my wrists, but I manage to get his trousers open enough to reach in and wrap my fingers around his stiff length.

He lets out a growl and kisses me harder.

“I can’t wait any longer,” he says, removing his pants in a rush.

Then he moves to his back and pulls me on top of him.

My legs straddle his hips as he aims his cock for my core.

It’s times like these, when Jack’s passion takes over, that I realize how perfect we are for each other.

He can be as impulsive and excitable as I am. At times, he can be too much too.

Staring into his eyes, I lower my hips a little slowly, swallowing his cock as I go. The pressure of his length filling me up is exquisite. Small moans and gasps escape my lips as my body is reacquainted with his. Once I’m seated on top of him, we stare into each other’s eyes with love.

“I’m yours,” he whispers.

We stay like this for a while. There are no words left to say. No wounds to mend or apologies to accept. I know where he stands, and he knows where I stand.

After a moment, I start to grind my hips, finding so much pleasure in the sensation. His hands rest softly on my thighs as I move, setting the pace and intensity. He looks like he’s in heaven, watching me find my own climax with his body.

Moving my hands to my clit, I rub it fiercely as I chase my pleasure. Watching him lie on the floor of the room where we first fell in love feels like a full-circle moment.

He’s mine. The man in the photo is forever mine.

I was never supposed to be here, and somehow, I’ve made it my home.

Hypnotized by the sensation and rapid movement of my hips, I nearly lose track of time and space. When my moans grow too loud, he clamps a hand over my mouth and stares up at me with fire in his eyes.

But I don’t stop moving or rubbing at my clit. His other hand reaches up and squeezes the mound of my breast, pinching the nipple and making my body tight with arousal.

“That’s my good girl,” he praises quietly when he sees I’m about to come. “Let me feel it. Come on my cock, baby.”

I’m so close. I can feel it. It’s just on the horizon.

Then he utters those words that send me over the edge. “Good girl, little bird,” he says. “Good fucking girl.”

And just like that, my body detonates with his praise. My legs are shaking and seizing with pleasure. Light explodes behind my eyelids, and everything in me melts with the heat of this fire.

As I collapse against him, his cock twitches and shudders inside me.

His hands are tight around me as he fills me up.

Suddenly, I remember the first time he uttered those words and how it made me feel. And I realize that maybe that was the start of it all. Turning a cold, heartless man into one who could make me feel so warm and treasured was really where I began to fall in love.

Once we’re both spent, I rise up and smile at him. He kisses me softly on the lips as he takes my wrists and loops them over his head, pulling me closer to him. My hands are resting at the back of his neck, so we are one. Bound to each other for now. Forever.

“My good girl,” he mumbles against my mouth.

“My sir,” I reply.

Even as he whispers those words again, giving me the security and comfort I need, I know that nothing will ever top the effect they have on me.

He is mine, and I am his. It doesn’t matter what came before or what comes after.

All that matters is the moment we’re in right now, and as long as we’re in it together, I know everything will be okay.

Or rather, better than okay—it will be perfect.