Epilogue

Epilogue

I'll Be Home for Christmas

HOLLY

One year later…

"Honey, I need a gin and tonic, a glass of the house chardonnay, two shots of Patron, and the Hoot special," my mother slapped her order on the corner of the bar. She wore jeans, and a black t-shirt with the name of my bar, Night Owl, emblazoned across the front in gold lettering. Her shoes were comfy sneakers, and her smile genuine. No more tight skirts or uncomfortable pantyhose for my mama. And Dad, well he rocked shorts, tennis shoes, and a matching t-shirt while working behind the bar. They worked whatever hours they wanted.

I instantly started the shots and prepped the gin and tonic. "Got it, Mom!"

"I've got the chardonnay and the special," Dad hollered, taking half the order. He worked the bar with me most nights, hanging up his card dealing for good, while Mom waitressed whenever she wanted to, which was also most nights. She also loved bossing around the younger cocktail staff and teaching them the ropes.

"Mac says he's got a situation in the parking lot," she added.

"Does he need help?" I asked, finishing up the gin and tonic.

"I sent over one of the brothers," Mom waved her hand, gesturing to one of the VIP sections in the back.

Another change that occurred when I opened up Night Owl was I kept Mac on staff and hired several of his biker buddies for security and bouncing. Bruno demanded he be the one to interview all of them. Turns out, Bruno was most fond of the bikers with records. "Scarier the better, baby. When I'm gone, I want you covered," he'd told me. And since I had been adopted by the Las Vegas Hounds, along with my parents and all of Bruno's guys, my bar was by far the safest place in town.

"What's going on?" Jonas called out with a chin lift, those hawk ears of his hearing all.

"Drama in the parking lot. Mac and his brothers are on it," I responded, setting the drinks on Mom's tray.

Jonas nodded, sipped his beer and put his eyes back on his laptop screens. Jonas had become a regular fixture in mine and my parents' lives too. One of the interesting parts of marrying Bruno was, all of a sudden, I had a brother-in-law of sorts. I almost saw Jonas more than my own husband. Apparently, they never went on the same jobs at the same time, and because Jonas was the tech, he rarely left. Most nights his ass was warming the same seat at my bar. Mom and Dad loved it. He ate dinner with us a couple times a week, watched sports with Dad and had become Mom's personal matchmaking challenge. Every time a beautiful single woman entered the bar and caught her eye, she attempted to introduce her "adopted son" to them. Her words not mine.

My parents had always been the ‘more the merrier' type, and when Bruno suggested this five-story building to not only open Night Owl, but as a place where we could all live, including my parents and his business headquarters, I jumped at the chance. He set it all up while I worked with a designer to create the establishment of my dreams on the bottom level.

The top floor was our five-bedroom home. The fourth floor was halved, one side was my parents two-bedroom apartment, and the other a full gym. Level three was Bruno's headquarters and a two-bedroom apartment that Jonas lived in. Floor two was a set of ten, one-bedroom, decent sized apartments, that Bruno's men rotated in and out of. Many of Bruno's team had homes, wives, husbands, and the like all over the world. When they were in town, he liked having them close so they didn't waste time with unnecessary travel, getting them right back to their families. Some of the men moved in and paid rent because they liked being in Vegas.

Basically, everything had changed for the better once Bruno and I got married on New Year's Eve.

I glanced at the clock above the entrance door right as it struck midnight. It was Christmas Eve, technically now it was Christmas. I watched that clock like my life depended on it waiting for my husband to get back from South America. He and a team of his guys worked some scary ass job he wouldn't tell me much about. But, he promised he would be here for our very first Christmas as husband and wife, and I trusted him to make good on his promise.

And then it happened. The door opened, and a sea of men entered, all wearing black combat-style clothing aside from my man, who was in a black-on-black suit. My mouth watered as I stood there taking in my hot as fuck husband. My heart pounded with excitement as the biggest smile slid across my face. His eyes found mine and our gazes met, as piercing and intense as one year ago today when he dropped all the walls between his heart and mind and took a leap of faith, fighting for my hand in marriage. It was the best day of my life.

I slowly walked down the length of my bar, pushed through the short saloon doors on one end and waited for him to greet me.

When he approached, he bent in half, put his shoulder to my stomach and lifted me up and into a fireman's hold.

"Bruno!" I screeched laughing. "You brute, let me down!"

His hand smacked my ass and then gripped it hard giving it a good jiggle.

"No fucking way. Mom and Dad, I'm taking your daughter for the rest of the night. See you for Christmas brunch?" he called out to my parents.

"Yes, honey! Have fun. Happy you're home safe," my mother called out.

"Mac and I will close down the bar, sweetheart," Dad offered.

"Traitors!" I screeched, playfully smacking my man's rock-hard ass as he dragged me to the back where we had a private elevator only staff used to get to our floors. There was a front entrance that guests could use, but they had to be buzzed in by a 24-hour security guy. Bruno used that job for new recruits of his company and new prospects of the Hounds. They were strict as all get out. No one entered our building unless they lived there, worked for Bruno, or were brought in with one of us. If Bruno had meetings with clients, they were on a list. If they weren't on the list, they didn't get in. Period.

I thought he'd opt for my work office, because it was close, but he carried me straight into the elevator and hit the button for our home. We'd already had sex in my office multiple times over the past year when he'd returned from a job, but for some reason today was different.

The elevator dinged and he carried me straight through the entry, the living room, and down the hall to our bedroom. When we got there, he tossed me on the bed.

"Get naked," he demanded.

I burst into laughter. "You haven't seen me for over two weeks and the first thing you have to say to me is get naked," I giggled.

"Fuck yes," he grouched as he yanked off my shoes and then each sock. "You're the one that sent me a picture of you in that red nightie. It's all I've thought about for five days straight," he bent over my form, lifted my shirt and bit down on my breast over my bra. He palmed them both, then pressed his head between them and sighed.

"Comfy?" I grinned.

"God, yes, this is my happy place," he said, then pressed warm kisses to the fleshy globes, pushed down the lacy cups holding up the girls, and squashed his entire face in between them. He groaned, breathing deeply. "You smell so fucking good, baby," he mumbled against my skin.

"What do I smell like? Sweat and bar stank?" I chuckled.

"No. You smell like home."

I ran my fingers through the curly layers of his hair. "I missed you, Bruno," I said and wrapped my legs around his body, forcing him to lay flat against me.

He lifted his head and smiled so huge my heart almost imploded. "I told you I'd be home for Christmas."

"And you're a man of your word, I appreciate it."

"With you, Holly, I will always be a man of my word." It was a vow I knew I could believe. He hadn't let me down since the night of the auction.

"Get up here and kiss your wife," I demanded, need filling my tone as arousal slickened the space between my thighs.

"Gladly," he whispered against my lips, his nose brushing along my nose as his eyes sparkled with joy. "I missed you, Holly."

"Oh yeah, what did you miss?" I stretched my head the inches it took to reach his lips and kissed him briefly. "Was it my mouth?" I teased, flicking my tongue along his bottom lip. Then I arched my hips to rub against his hardening length. "Or maybe you missed something else. Hmm?" I locked my legs around him and forced his hips to press deeper along mine, creating a delicious friction.

He tunneled his hands into my hair, cupped my head and stared into my eyes as though he'd never seen anything more beautiful. "Every time I come home to you, to all we've built in just a short year, I wonder how I ever lived without you."

I ran my fingers along his hair line. "Baby, you weren't living. You were existing. I know that, because that's what I was doing too. Now we're thriving. Our careers, family, friends, and each other. We have love in all things. I don't think anyone could ever want for more."

"I love you, Holly Knight-Castellanos. Thank you for choosing me. For believing in us. Before you I was a broody asshole…"

"Before me ? Baby let's not call a tiger a cat all of a sudden. You're still a broody asshole, you just smile and laugh more."

He chuckled and put his face to my neck, running a line of kisses up and down the column, turning the heat back up between us.

"You're right. I may still be a broody asshole, but I'm your broody asshole."

"That you are. Now please make love to your wife. I've got a whole Christmas celebration planned for us in the morning. Mom has a private brunch for us and Jonas, and then we're turning the bar into a Christmas party for all the guys. The Hounds are coming with their old ladies, the level two guys are coming…it's a whole thing and we need to get some sleep," I warned.

Bruno snorted, his hand working its way between us. The man was a master at unbuttoning jeans and getting inside them. Two fingers dove inside my heat as his thumb started working my clit just how I liked it.

"Sleep? Holly, it's time to rally, because I have two weeks of fantasies to work through with this body. You can rest when we're dead." His mouth covered mine as his fingers performed magic.

God, I missed him. "Okay, Bruno, you win."

"I always do," he smirked and took my mouth in a searing kiss before he pushed off me. "Let's start over," he said while undoing his slim tie. "Get naked, Holly."

"Rude!" I snapped, but wiggled out of my jeans, ripped my top over my head, and removed my underwear and bra. "You better be nice, or you get no dessert!"

I watched with desire as he slowly removed each item of clothing, kicking the last bit away. I stared at his gorgeous body hungrily. He did the same staring at mine.

"What's for dessert?" he asked, his voice a low rumble.

This time I smirked, laid back, and spread my legs open wide.

He fisted both of his hands and stood very still.

"I made a chocolate cake. Hungry?" I brazenly taunted.

" Starved, " he growled and dove for the bed.

The End.

* * * *

If you enjoyed A Christmas Auction , check out the other titles in The Marriage Auction universe. Start with Madam Alana and learn how the auction came to be, or jump right into The Marriage Auction, Book 1 .