Making You Mine: Knox and Aubrey (The Bradens & Montgomerys (Pleasant Hill - Oak Falls) Book 5) Read online

  Making You

  Mine

  The Bradens & Montgomerys

  (Pleasant Hill – Oak Falls)

  Love in Bloom Series

  Melissa Foster

  This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

  MAKING YOU MINE

  All Rights Reserved.

  Copyright © 2019 Melissa Foster

  V1.0

  This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Cover Design: Elizabeth Mackey Designs

  Cover Photography: Sara Eirew

  WORLD LITERARY PRESS

  PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  A Note to Readers

  About the Love in Bloom Big-Family Romance Collection

  About the Ladies Who Write (LWW)

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Epilogue

  Ready for more Bradens & Montgomerys?

  About Bayside Desires

  More Books By Melissa Foster

  Acknowledgments

  Meet Melissa

  A Note to Readers

  If this is your first Love in Bloom book, all of my love stories are written to stand alone, so dive right in and enjoy the fun, sexy ride! If you are an avid reader of series, you might remember meeting Aubrey Stewart in Anything for Love and meeting her hunky hero, Knox Bentley, in Trails of Love. Separately, Aubrey and Knox are two stubborn, fun, and sexy characters—but together they’re combustible! For those of you who follow my Ladies Who Write (LWW) author group, you know we have created an entire LWW fictional world. Aubrey is one of three women who owns LWW Enterprises. She is such close friends with our beloved Montgomerys and Charlotte Sterling, I knew the Braden-Montgomery world wouldn’t be complete without her and Knox’s story. I hope you adore their journey as much as I enjoyed writing it.

  The best way to keep up to date with new releases, sales, and exclusive content is to sign up for my newsletter or to download my free app.

  www.MelissaFoster.com/news

  www.MelissaFoster.com/app

  About the Love in Bloom Big-Family Romance Collection

  The Bradens & Montgomerys is just one of the series in the Love in Bloom big-family romance collection. Each Love in Bloom book is written to be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel or as part of the larger series, and characters from each series make appearances in future books, so you never miss an engagement, wedding, or birth. A complete list of all series titles is included at the end of this book, along with previews of upcoming publications.

  Visit the Love in Bloom Reader Goodies page for downloadable checklists, family trees, and more!

  www.MelissaFoster.com/RG

  About the Ladies Who Write (LWW)

  I am part of a fantastic group of romance authors called the Ladies Who Write (LWW), and we have created a fun, sexy world just for you! Making You Mine and Anything for Love are both set in the LWW world as well as the Braden-Montgomery world. In these books you will meet several other members of LWW, each of whom will have their own book written by me and the other authors of LWW. You’ll also find LWW connections in other books I have written, such as Embracing Her Heart. I love connecting characters and worlds, so there will be many more LWW stories to come.

  For more information on our group and to stay up to date on the release of LWW books, visit www.LadiesWhoWrite.com and sign up for our newsletter.

  Chapter One

  AUBREY AWOKE TO the bold, sensual scents of Oud Wood cologne and sex. Her fingers played over the expensive hotel sheets as she soaked in the rugged aroma of her post-charity-event hotel hookup, Knox Bentley. Eyes closed, she reveled in the weight of his strong arm around her middle and the feel of his arousal against her bottom as he spooned her.

  Spooned?

  Her eyes flew open. She was not a spooner. Spooning was far more intimate than sex. Spooning implied a deeper connection—the big spoon’s desire to protect the little spoon. As one of the founders of Ladies Who Write Enterprises, a multimedia conglomerate, and the head of the film and television department, self-made billionaire Aubrey Stewart did not need protecting. Except maybe from her dangerously beautiful, too-cocky-for-his-own-good fuck buddy currently growing harder as he snuggled closer, making seductive noises that sent her pulse into a frenzy.

  God…

  Knox pressed his warm lips to her shoulder and rolled her onto her back, gazing heatedly into her eyes. Shivers of desire swept through her. It was ridiculous how little it took for him to get her going. A hungry sound, a whiff of his expensive cologne. Even a glimpse of that sinful look in his caramel eyes made her stomach flip-flop like a teenager’s. Each of those things sparked the promise of dark pleasures, but combined they did her in every damn time.

  She had a million things to accomplish this week before the winter storm that was brewing found its way up the coast, and his big, strong hand sliding down her thigh wasn’t helping her get out the door any quicker.

  “I have no idea what happens to me at charity events. I can’t believe we did this again,” she said breathily, trying to wiggle away before she got all caught up in him and her plans for the day went to hell.

  He squeezed her thigh, keeping her just where he wanted her as a slow grin spread across his face. “I happen to you, babe. How can you resist all this?” He motioned toward his deliciously hard, naked body. “But really, we should come as no surprise.” He brushed his scruff along her cheek and whispered, “We’ve been hooking up after charity and other business events for more than two years. Don’t pretend it’s only after charity events. Some people might call that dating.”

  “Maybe in your world.”

  She’d given up on dating long ago. Men were either intimidated by her success, too boring, or too dimwitted to keep up with her. And when it came to sex, though she’d never let Knox know it, he’d pretty much ruined her for any other man. She’d nearly lost her mind when he’d gone to Belize for business and ended up staying there for a few months.

  “Two years? It hasn’t been that long.” Has it? She mentally filtered back to the first time they’d met, and damn…he was right. She’d met the rebellious billionaire at another charity function. Rumor had it that as the son of Griffin Bentley, a leading venture capitalist and real estate mogul, Knox had been groomed to take over his father’s financial ventures from the time he was a child. He was known in elite circles f
or his eco-friendly business endeavors, hefty donations to children’s charities—and for his determined and blatant separation from his family’s businesses. Aubrey knew all about separating from a family’s legacy, though hers was very different. Her middle-class roots ran deep in Port Hudson, New York, where her father coached football at Boyer University and her mother was still the hostess with the mostest, attending and celebrating the local high school and college sporting events and hosting after-parties even though all their children were grown. With two older brothers who were named after football stars and now played in the NFL, it was hard for her to escape being known as the girl in the football family.

  She loved her family and she loved sports, but as a teenager she’d dreamed of blazing a path to break away and prove herself. That commonality was what had first intrigued her about Knox. Well, that and his crazy-good looks, wicked sense of humor, and after that first night, his sexual prowess…

  He nipped at her jaw, bringing her mind back to the present and to his hand creeping up her thigh. “I’ve got to get out of here. I have resorts to check out for an upcoming movie production.”

  “As I recall, Mrs. Robinson didn’t rush things along.”

  She scowled at him. “You’re only four years younger than me. Give it up.”

  His fingertips brushed over the apex of her thighs, drawing a needy sigh from her lungs. “Babe, you know I don’t have a problem giving it up. As I recall, I gave it up, down, and practically inside out several times last night.”

  Babe? That was new. She let it slide, sidetracked by the fact that she couldn’t even blame last night on alcohol. She hadn’t gotten hammered since college. Besides, with Knox she liked being fully present so she could experience every single incredible second of their passion.

  He lowered his head, pressing his warm, soft lips to her breast. She sighed, closing her eyes as he lulled her under his spell. He was such a talented and generous lover, she allowed herself just a few more minutes of his deliciousness before giving herself over to the real world again.

  “That’s more like it,” he said huskily.

  He sucked her breast into his mouth, roughly grazing his teeth over the taut peak. She couldn’t suppress a moan at the shock of pain and pleasure slicing through her. She needed to get out of that bed or she’d never get around to seeing the resorts her assistant, Becca, had scouted for her. Upstate New York could be dicey in late January, and there was a cold front moving through. Just as she closed her eyes to gather the strength and break their connection, Knox rubbed his hard shaft against her thigh, and her traitorous hips greedily rose for more.

  Her phone vibrated on the bedside table, breaking the spell. She moved his hands and threw her legs over the edge of the bed with a loud sigh. He chuckled as she reached for her phone—and he reached for her. He wrapped his arms around her middle, trailing kisses along her hips and back.

  “Seriously? It’s Sunday, Ms. Workaholic,” he said as she opened Becca’s text.

  “I’ve got several days of resort hopping ahead of me, starting today, and I can’t put it off. Next Sunday’s the Super Bowl. My parents are having a huge party, and I don’t want to miss it.”

  “Hm. Sounds fun. Want some company?”

  One of his hands delved between her legs, while the other cupped her breast, making it difficult for her to focus. “Knox…” Even she heard the wavering plea for more in her voice.

  Ridiculous.

  She forced herself to read Becca’s message. Want me to cancel today’s resort meetings so you can lose yourself in that hot piece of ass and come back tomorrow sated and smiling?

  No! she texted back as Knox did his best to drive her out of her freaking mind. She never should have admitted to Becca that she’d connected with Knox, but her overly attentive assistant had noticed a difference in her, which she’d called Post-Knox Aubrey, in the days after they’d first hooked up. She’d had to fess up or deal with Becca’s unrelenting inquisition.

  Becca’s response was immediate. Can you see me rolling my eyes? Everyone knows you and Knox hooked up last night. Presley and Libby told me to cancel your appts even though they knew you’d have a fit. I deserve a raise for at least asking.

  Aubrey and Knox had never been secretive about hooking up, and her business partners and best friends, Presley Cabot, who ran the publishing arm of LWW, and Libby Warren, the director of the philanthropic division, had been at the event last night. Of course they knew about their hookup. But they also knew her well enough to realize she’d never put off work for a man.

  And yes, Becca deserved a raise, all right, but not for asking about changing her schedule. She was efficient, had an impeccable work ethic, and best of all, she could handle Aubrey’s tough standards with a sense of humor. Her only downfalls were that she was hot as sin, which meant every male client paid more attention to Becca than to business, and she knew Aubrey too well. She could tell when Aubrey had gone too long without having her bell chimed.

  And…she knew the best remedy.

  The man who was currently covering her phone with one hand and pulling her into a scorching-hot kiss with the other.

  When they finally came up for air Aubrey said, “I’ve really got to go.”

  “You could give a guy a complex forgoing his cock for a phone.”

  “Can your cock check out resorts for me? Because that might get me very interested,” she said playfully, and leaned up to press her lips to his. He really was beautiful, with thick dark hair and kind, sexy light brown eyes that could smolder so hot they could light panties on fire or emote professionalism so perfectly they could charm unheard of deals from the savviest businessmen. His manicured scruff might look too pretty on another man, but Knox was rugged enough to pull it off. His rebelliousness and killer smile were the jewels in his crown, giving him a unique edge others didn’t possess.

  As he lowered his lips to hers, she put her hand on his chest and said, “Shower. We have to multitask.”

  He chuckled as they headed for the shower. While the water heated up, she told him about each of the resorts she was checking out between Virginia and New York over the next few days.

  “Don’t you have minions to do that legwork for you?”

  “Usually,” she said as she stuck her hand into the shower and tested the temperature, thinking, not for the first time, that Knox was the only man she’d ever showered with. Well, besides that one guy in college, but that hardly counted. They were both drunk and fully clothed. At least at first. “But this is for my very best friend in the whole world, erotic-romance author Charlotte Sterling. She’s an LWW girl, too, and she wrote a book inspired by her and her fiancé’s courtship called Anything for Love. We’re making it into a movie for our new Me Time channel. I want to check the potential filming locations out for myself and make sure they’re perfect.”

  They stepped into the shower. His arms came around her, his slick body hard and enticing at once.

  “The Charlotte you grew up with who lost her entire family while you were in college?”

  She froze. “How do you know that?” After losing her parents in a plane crash and then losing her last surviving relative, the grandfather she adored, Charlotte had holed up in the family’s estate, which had once been run as an inn. She’d found solace in writing and had remained at the inn ever since, but Aubrey couldn’t remember ever telling Knox about her.

  “Babe, there’s not much I don’t know about you. You talk a lot after sex.”

  “Since when do you call me babe, and I do not talk a lot after sex.”

  “Since now, and you do. How else would I know you and Charlotte bonded with Presley and Libby over your mutual love of writing in college? Or that you all hated the drama of sororities and started an LWW sisterhood, which is really just a fancy name for sorority?” He grabbed her ass, bringing her even closer as warm water rained down over them. “And that LWW now owns the sorority house where your sisterhood began. I swear you LWW girls are everyw
here.”

  “Yes, we own the house, and it still runs as a sisterhood, not a sorority, thank you very much. Girls who are interested in writing in any medium—bloggers, authors, screenplay writers—can pledge. We’re going to take over the world one day. But I’m not a talker, which means you’ve stalked me.” She cupped his balls and said, “Spill it, or lose them.”

  He pushed his fingers between her legs, instantly finding the magical spot that sent her up on her toes. “Now, why would you want to do that? You love what my body does for you.” He kissed her neck. “You are chatty. In your post-orgasmic haze your lips get a little loose. Besides, I like to know who I’m sleeping with. Is that a crime? And I’m pretty sure your Charlotte is engaged to my business partner’s brother.”

  She closed her eyes for a second as he teased her breathless. “I forgot Graham Braden was the other B in B&B Enterprises.”

  “Just don’t ask us which B comes first. It might cause a brawl.”

  “Guys are so competitive.” She opened her eyes and said, “So you knew my Char was your friend Beau’s fiancée?”

  “I knew they were engaged, and I thought she was your Charlotte. You know,” he said as he nibbled on her neck, “I’m familiar with the Sterling House, the property where they met and fell in love, and none of the resorts you mentioned are rural enough to measure up.”

  She poked his chest and said, “I think I know what’s best for my clients.”

  “We’ll see.” His hands glided down her hips, and he kissed her again. “I’m meeting Graham and his wife, Morgyn, later this month in New York City for dinner. You should come with me.”

  “Like a double date? No thanks. Let’s just get back to you touching me.”

  “I’m not sure how much I like this dirty-little-secret thing we’ve turned into.”

  “It’s worked so far.” She smiled and took a step back as she said, “I could shower alone.” Thank God for birth control, because they’d have to buy stock in condoms if they went that route.