Cocking my head over to Rory to make sure he’s witnessing whatever is going on, I see he’s already found her with his gaze, but surprisingly, instead of appearing jealous or irritated in any way that the girl he’s hooked up with a handful of times—the girl I assumed he was going home with tonight—is blatantly flirting with someone else, he’s unfazed and returns his focus to Nali, where they continue whatever conversation they were having about white-water rafting.
Strange.
Hudson’s tiptoeing fingers creep up the seam of my thigh and regain my full attention. I hiss under my breath as they feather over the denim covering my cock. “You’re gonna get in trouble,” I warn lowly.
“That’s what I’m hoping for.” The left side of her face tilts up with amusement as she squeezes my erection in her hand. “Let’s go home.”
I need no more persuading. Standing up, I tip my chin at Rory and Nali. “Thank y’all for coming tonight, but I gotta get my girl home before she mounts me right here on the table.”
Nali scrunches up her face as she covers her ears with her hands. “Earmuffs! Ewww! I could do without that visual, thank you very much.”
Rory chuckles. “You should hear them every night. It sounds like a—”
“No!” She slaps her palm over his mouth mid-sentence. “Please. Just no.”
After a few more minutes, we tell them goodbye before stopping by the bar to do the same with Dakota. Greeting us cheerfully, she politely introduces us to a girl from school, the girl’s boyfriend, and the other couple of guys standing there. Ready to get home to ravage my little tease of a girlfriend until she’s begging for mercy, I don’t pay much attention to most of them, not bothering to learn their names or to store their physical appearance to memory, except when she gets to the guy I noticed her flirting with earlier. I can’t help but think he looks really familiar. His name is James, which doesn’t ring any bells at all—not like I know many people around here anyway, but it bothers me that I can’t put my finger on it.
Hudson and I leave shortly after, walking hand-in-hand through the parking lot to my truck. Like the gentleman I am, I open her door for her and slap her firm ass as she climbs in. She snaps her head back and sears me with her electric blue gaze, making me forget about everything except getting her home, naked, and in my bed as soon as possible.
It’s not until sometime in the middle of the night, deep in a dream after passing out from three rounds of magnificent fucking, sexing, and love-making—in that order—that I jolt straight up in bed and it comes to me.
James Levi.
The best freestyle motocross rider in the world, known for his desire to attempt the impossible.
That’s who Dakota was talking to at Ember.
Huh. Interesting.
Mystery solved, I lie back down and cuddle Hudson close to me, fitting our bodies seamlessly together, and kiss her forehead.
“I love you, snow angel.”
The debate over the legalization of marijuana, for both medical treatment and recreational use, has been a hot topic in our society over the past several decades. Historical records dating as far back as 2900 B.C. describe the use of cannabis as a popular medicine, first documented in China, then Egypt, India, Greece, Rome, Arabic civilizations, and eventually, in the dominant British Empire. The Jamestown settlers originally introduced the marijuana plant to North America in 1611, and much like it had in many other parts of the world, medical marijuana became a commonly utilized form of treatment to suppress headaches and other minor aches and pains, to increase appetites, to aid in sleeplessness, and to improve symptoms of depression by the middle of the 19th century.
After a series of legislative acts in the first part of the 20th century, recreational marijuana use was prohibited in the United States, and several decades later it was also deemed illegal for medicinal purposes, despite the opposition from the American Medical Association. Fast-forward nearly half a century, after extensive research, testing, and overwhelming support from the medical community, on November 5, 1996, California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana, though many others had previously passed laws to decriminalize cannabis. Since then, twenty-two other states, as well as Washington D.C., have followed suit in making it legal to possess and use with a prescription from a doctor.
In 2012, Colorado and Washington legalized the recreational use of marijuana for adults ages 21 and over. Two years later, Oregon and Alaska voted to do the same, and there at the time of publishing, there are a handful of other states to vote on similar laws in 2015.
Regardless of your stance on recreational marijuana use, the scientific facts regarding the medical benefits of both THC and CBD, chemicals found in cannabis, cannot be denied. People diagnosed with a variety of cancers, glaucoma, epilepsy, arthritis, eating disorders, mental health diseases, and hundreds of other illnesses are discovering the physiological and psychological benefits, and in turn, are suffering less.
Erin Noelle is a Texas native, where she lives with her husband and two young daughters. While earning her degree in History at the University of Houston, she rediscovered her love for reading that was first instilled by her grandmother when she was a young child.
A lover of happily-ever-afters, both historical and current, Erin is an avid reader of all romance novels. Her titles published include the Book Boyfriend Series, the Dusk ‘Til Dawn Series, Translucent, Conspire — co-authored with SE Hall, Surviving Us, and MILF: Wrong Kind of Love.
Her books have been a part of the USA Today Bestselling list and the Amazon and Barnes & Noble overall Top 100. You can follow her on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/erin.noelle.98, her blog @ www.erinnoelleauthor.com, on Twitter @authorenoelle, and on Instagram @erinnoelleauthor.
This is one of my favorite parts of every book because without these people, there’s no way I would’ve been able to finish this book, at least not with some sort of sanity still intact. So without further ado, it is with much thanks and big hugs that I recognize the following:
My husband and girls ~ Y’all will be #1 on my list Every. Single. Time. I love you more than anyone else in the entire world and thank you for dealing with my crazy, manic writing schedule. Your support means everything. You’re why I try so hard.
Stacy Kestwick ~ Where have you been all my life, woman? There aren’t enough words to express my appreciation for how much help you’ve been in this book, and I can’t wait for the next ten that we do together! I’d skip around the globe for you <3
Jill Sava ~ Forever my Bright Side. Thank you for keeping me organized and scheduled. Thank you for being crazy and understanding my crazy. Thank you for all that you do, every day. Love you lots.
Hang Le, Trina Marie & Kirsten Papi ~ Three years later and here we are. Still together. Each of you ladies is so special to me and even if I never wrote another book, I know we’d stay close friends.
Toski Covey ~ Sister, you outdid yourself on this one, but you already knew that. Thank you for being you. Thank you for sharing your talent. Thank you for being a genuine friend through it all.