Burning Hunger by Tory Richards Page A

his warm eyes until Chaz’s
words had sunk in. “You have feelings for me, too?”
    “Honey,” he laughed, “I’ve had a barrage of
feelings for you since the moment I saw you walk into my brother’s
house with that look-but-don’t-touch-attitude. Amusement, anger,
lust. More than once I wanted to put you across my knee.”
    She couldn’t help it, she laughed.
“Naked?”
    “Now that’s a thought.”
    The tinkling sound of someone hitting the
side of their glass with silverware drew everyone’s attention
toward the bride and groom’s table. The music promptly ceased. Beau
was standing there with a champagne glass in his hand, obviously
ready to make the official toast as first best man. Val hadn’t even
seen him leave their table. Without prompting, everyone was
suddenly reaching for their glasses.
    As she stretched to get hers Chaz beat her
to it, handing her a glass before picking up his own.
    Still holding his flute high in the air,
Beau was about to speak when Blade touched him on the arm. They had
a brief exchange of words and then Beau sat down. Blade remained on
his feet. “Before my brother makes his toast, there’s something I’d
like to say to my bride.”
    He turned to Callie, who was staring up at
him with a happy smile on her radiant face. Blade held his
champagne glass toward her, and as if some silent communication had
passed between them, Callie picked up hers.
    “I remember a time when my brothers and I
thought we’d never meet that special someone we’d want to spend the
rest of our lives with. Not long after Beau married Marissa, I
asked him how he’d known she was the one. It didn’t take him long
to come up with an answer. It was simple. He just knew, he said.
Just like I knew the moment you landed on my lap beneath that tree,
and I gazed into your beautiful, laughing eyes. I knew you were
going to be trouble. You took my breath away, you turned me inside
out, you touched my soul, but most of all, you complete me. To a
long life together, honey.” By the time Blade was done, tears were
rolling down Callie’s face. He backed up his toast by pulling her
against him and kissing her long and hard.
    Once the clapping stopped, Beau rose to his
feet again.
    “That will be us some day,” Val said
jokingly. “I must be getting heavy.” She made a move to get off his
lap.
    “I have no doubts,” Chaz responded, deadly
serious. “Unless we elope to Vegas or the Bahamas. And stay right
here.” He easily kept her from moving. Val just looked at him, not
knowing how to respond, afraid to give in to the happiness waiting
to burst through. “We were meant for each other, honey, and we’re
good together. Why else did we both stop playing the field after
that night at my brother’s house? Somewhere down deep you must have
sensed it, too.”
    How can I argue when he’s speaking the
truth? She was vaguely aware Beau had begun his toast, but couldn’t
draw her attention away from Chaz. “So what does that mean?”
    Chaz stared into her eyes with an emotion
she’d never seen before. “It means that.” He indicated the bride
and groom’s table with a nod of his head. “It means babies.” They
both glanced across at the baby in Marissa’s arms. “It means a lot
of this.” He kissed her firmly. “If you want it.”
    If she wanted it? Val never thought she’d
find such happiness. As the sting of tears filled her eyes, a
trembling smile spread across her face. “Yes,” she whispered
huskily, her heart swelling with love. “Yes.”
    They sealed their unspoken love with a kiss
that spoke volumes about their feelings for one another, and the
future they had ahead of them.
     
     
    The End
     
     
     
     
    Thank you for reading Burning Hunger. I hope
you enjoyed it, and would appreciate you leaving a review where you
purchased the story. You might also be interested in reading A
Perfect Fit, and Surrender to Desire, books one and two of this
series.
     
     
    A Perfect Fit blurb –