One Last Objection_A Small-Town Romance Read online

  ONE LAST OBJECTION

  Book 4 in the Oak Grove series

  by

  Nancy Stopper

  Table of Contents

  One Last Objection

  Dear Readers

  Prologue

  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

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Epilogue

  Excerpt - One Last Gift

  Books by Nancy Stopper

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Dear Readers,

  Love is certainly in the air in Oak Grove. All of Michael’s siblings have paired off and where has that left him? Alone. He’s gone from what he thought was a successful career as a rising star in a Philadelphia law firm to buying out the small-town lawyer in his hometown. He’s had a lot of changes in the past few months. And the biggest is yet to come when he finds out his friends-with-benefits relationship with Maggie James has just been turned on its ear. Maggie is pregnant!

  Maggie can’t believe she’s pregnant. She doesn’t know how to be a mother. She sure didn’t have a good role model in her other mother. She’s also got a career she loves. What’s going to happen with that? It’s not like she and Michael ever planned to be parents. But here they were, navigating the change in their relationship as they march ever closer to impending parenthood.

  But nothing is never easy for Maggie. Or for Michael, for that matter. Can these two stubborn, independent professionals find their way to a happily-ever-after? It’s hard to tell, but I can assure you that we’ll all enjoy watching them try.

  You’ll also be treated to the first Bennett wedding, so bring your tissues as Lucas and Sarah finally exchange their vows.

  Nancy

  Want to know the day the next Oak Grove book is released? Sign up for my mailing list!

  Nancy Stopper

  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

  Prologue

  KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. Michael adjusted the collar of his polo and then slumped against the doorframe when Maggie didn’t answer right away. He really shouldn’t be here. There was a pile of work building on his desk by the minute. His boss had thrown him the stink-eye when Michael’d said he was actually taking the Labor Day holiday off. He’d busted his ass to get where he was, right on the brink of making partner. Five different cases demanded his attention right now, but the bombshell his sister Rachel had dropped had thrown him for a loop. So instead of heading back to the office, he found himself here.

  He really didn’t have time to stay. But with all the crap running through his head, he’d make the time. Maggie was the only one who could make him forget everything, at least for a little while.

  He knocked for the third time. One more minute and he’d leave. With the upcoming partnership evaluation period, he just didn’t know when he’d be back in town again.

  He snatched his phone from his pocket to dash off a quick text to Maggie when the door opened behind him.

  He turned.

  Water dripped off of the deep red hair hanging over Maggie’s shoulders. She sopped up the moisture with the towel in her hand. When she raised her head, her smile grew even bigger.

  “Get your ass in here and make love to me.” She fisted his polo and yanked him out of the hall and into her condo.

  Michael had barely crossed the threshold before he fell hard into her, the silk of her robe soft against his arms. He cupped her ass, bare and smooth against his palms and the towel dropped to the floor. Holy shit. She wasn’t wearing any panties. Just like that, his cock was so hard he could pound nails. He pulled her tight against him, desperate to ease the ache in his crotch. He dug his fingers into her ass, and she held onto him like her life depended on it. When he speared his tongue into her mouth, she moaned, the sound digging deep into his gut.

  Thank God she was here. She could take the edge off after the day he’d had.

  She broke the kiss and stroked his chest. “Hello to you, too. I didn’t know you were in town.”

  He trailed kisses down her cheek, to that spot right at the base of her neck that had her squirming every time. “Just a quick trip. Had to see you.”

  She pushed him away and quirked her eyebrow.

  That little trick may work on her patients, but he was immune to her interrogation techniques. Sort of. She had a way of getting him to talk about things he’d rather keep to himself. The skill made her a great counselor. But he wasn’t her patient—he was her lover.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Who said anything is wrong?” He cupped her breast and kissed her again.

  She pushed him away. “I know you, Michael Bennett, and I can tell when something’s wrong.”

  “Don’t go analyzing me, Doc. I’m not your patient.” He licked her earlobe and then sucked it into his mouth.

  She moaned.

  That worked. He was not about to be psychoanalyzed. His life was perfectly fine, and he’d keep telling himself that as long as he had to.

  She wasn’t deterred today. “You may not be my patient, but you are my friend, and if you need to talk, I want to be here for you.”

  He sighed. Maggie deserved so much more than the hit and run relationship they had. Neither of them had the time or the interest in anything more, but they both enjoyed a few hours in bed whenever their schedules allowed. Even that had been a stretch recently with his schedule.

  Maggie ran her finger between his brows. “Right there. It’s all scrunched up. You’ll get wrinkles if you keep scowling like that.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Are you saying you don’t find me sexy anymore?”

  She slunk away, her hips swaying beneath the kimono that barely covered her ass. “Did I say that? I don’t think I said that.”

  He toed off his shoes and ripped his polo over his head as he hustled behind her. When they reached her bedroom doorway, he grabbed her wrist and spun her into his arms.

  She came willingly, her stiff-peaked nipples pressing against his chest and her core grinding into his cock. Damn. How long had it been? He counted the weeks in his head.

  “Stop thinking so hard.”

  He couldn’t help it. He’d never been able to turn his brain off. He couldn’t solve a problem if he didn’t analyze it from all directions and devise the best solution. A necessary skill for any successful lawyer.

  Maggie was the only way he’d found to calm his mind, to really live in the moment. With her, every rational thought flew right out of his head. But it wasn’t just the sex. She challenged him, helped him look at a situation in a different way, made him admit to himself things he never would have otherwise.

  But tonight, even the feel of her body against his wasn’t driving the anxiety out of his mind. It was no wonder, with the shocking revelation Rachel just dropped on him.

  He nudged Maggie into the bedroom, never breaking the kiss, until they bumped against her king-sized bed. She fell backward, pulling him with her, unt
il he was sprawled on top of her. She ran her hands up his chest, brushing his nipple, and he sucked in a breath. Her lips and tongue followed.

  He moaned. Two could play at this game.

  He backed away and slid the silky fabric up, exposing her sex. He nudged her thighs apart. Her musky smell and the fresh scent of her mango body wash mingled together, surrounding him. Damn, that was sexy. He breathed deeply, letting the aroma calm him before he lowered his head and licked.

  Her fingers wrapped around his hair and held tight. “Oh, God.”

  He chuckled. She was always ready. He tasted her again, driving a finger deep inside and stroking. She arched off the bed and her core thrust against his mouth. He licked and rubbed, turning his finger and finding that place deep inside that drove her wild.

  Low, keening moans vibrated from deep in her throat. Her body shuddered and flexed as he swept his tongue over her again and then withdrew his fingers. With his eyes locked on hers, he brought his hand to his mouth and sucked her musky flavor off.

  “Michael, please,” she begged. The sound had his cock twitching again.

  The two of them were so good together. He had found her at just the right time in his life, and for her to live in Oak Grove, all the better. He snickered and lowered his head. Right as he plunged three fingers into her, he sucked her clit into his mouth. She screamed and yanked at his hair, her legs wrapping around his shoulders, holding him tight to her.

  He didn’t mind. She could possess him anytime. She writhed beneath him while her sex clenched his fingers, throbbing as she moaned over and over.

  He slowed his strokes and pulled back, circling her core one more time as the trembling slowed and she relaxed. Her legs fell to his sides and her body collapsed onto the bed as the final waves passed through her. Sated Maggie was almost sexier than aroused Maggie.

  She huffed out a breath, her ragged gasps slowing. Damn, he loved watching her come. He slid onto the bed beside her, wrapped his arm around her waist, and tucked her head into the crook of his neck.

  “I don’t know how, but that gets better every time.” A gentle smile crossed her lips. He sprinkled a kiss on each corner of her mouth and then fully on her mouth. She sighed as he continued peppering kisses along her nose, across her eyes, to her ear. She lay in his arms like a wet noodle.

  Before long, a hand snaked along his back, tracing the muscles across his shoulder. Her other hand crossed her body and slid down his chest, across his belt, and stroked his cock through his shorts. He grew even bigger, throbbing as she pressed harder.

  “Damn, that feels good.”

  She ran her tongue along his lips and then spoke against his mouth. “What has you so stressed?”

  He sighed and flopped back. She was trying to shrink him again. He must really be putting off a vibe for her to be asking all these questions. “Just family stuff.”

  Her hand stilled and every muscle in her body stiffened.

  He eyed her suspiciously. “What?”

  She shook her head and climbed on top of him. “It’s nothing. Now where were we?”

  Interesting. Maggie was his sister’s shrink. Did she know something about what Rachel had just revealed? Before he could consider that further, Maggie started to slide down his body. Nope, none of that. He wasn’t done playing yet. He flipped them over so her delicious curves lay beneath him. He slid his hands up her hips, hiking up her robe until he’d exposed her full breasts, nipples hard and begging to be kissed. “I think I was right here.”

  Her skin tasted clean and fresh against his tongue. He sucked while he squeezed and kneaded her other breast. He let that nipple go with a pop and slithered to the other side. God, he could spend an hour just feasting on her breasts.

  She shoved him away and he fell onto his back. “Oh, no, we weren’t there at all. I think we were…”

  She grabbed his belt and in a minute, his shorts and boxer briefs were down at his ankles. His cock stretched up onto his belly. Maggie straddled his knees, the silk of her robe brushing against his thighs and her core so close to the satisfaction his cock begged for.

  She grinned wolfishly at him as she cupped him. He dug his fingers into the sheets and gave himself over to her. He might be in charge in the courtroom—hell, he was the one in control in most of his life—but Maggie would have none of that. She loved sex as much as he did and could do some wicked things with those fingers and lips of hers. He’d happily share control if it meant having her hands on his body.

  She stroked his cock, whispering her thumb over the tip and around the crown before squeezing and sliding her hand to the base. He couldn’t keep his eyes open. Up and down, again and again. Every muscle in his body tightened. He could barely breathe, his gasps coming in short huffs as she worked him. Before he could stop her, she drew him into her hot mouth, her tongue stroking the underside of his cock.

  She sucked him deeper into her mouth, the delicious pressure building deep in his gut. Hell, he usually lasted longer than this. He shouldn’t wait this long between visits again. She released his cock with a pop and circled the tip with her tongue. She lowered her head to take him in again.

  “Enough. Much more of that and I’m gonna blow.”

  She chuckled, her mouth rumbling against him. “I love when you let loose.”

  She leaned over, her breasts pillowing against his chest, and snatched a condom out of the nightstand. After ripping the wrapper with her teeth, she held the protection out to him. Just when he reached for it, she yanked her hand back and rolled the condom onto the tip of his erection.

  She then slowly, oh God, excruciatingly slowly, slid her hands down, unrolling the condom and squeezing him along the way.

  He pulsed against her hand.

  That was it. Enough playing around. He ripped her robe up and over her head, exposing her naked body. With his hands on her hips, he lifted her up. “This is not going to be slow,” he said as he thrust up and into her.

  She moaned.

  It was always so good with Maggie. She seemed to know exactly what he needed right when he needed it. Fast or slow, easy or rough. Other times, it was him taking the lead and meeting her needs.

  She pushed up onto her knees, sliding him almost completely out of her, and then she dropped onto him again. She rose again, her channel clenching tighter with each stroke. He pressed his hand onto her belly and nudged her back, driving himself deeper into her and giving him perfect access to her breasts. He sat up and laved her nipple, running his tongue over the peaked nub while his fingers teased her. Around and around, circling as she rode him.

  His groin tightened. He wasn’t going to last much longer. But no matter how much control he gave her, no way would he come before her. He lowered his hand and at the same moment he sucked hard on her nipple, he caressed her.

  She screamed, her wetness coating his hand as she clenched his cock. His groin tightened and he pulsed his own release into her.

  Maggie collapsed onto him, her hands on his chest and his arms loosely around her back. Her breathing evened out as she lay sprawled over him. She rarely cuddled and he appreciated the few minutes when she let down her guard and exposed some of the sensitive woman he knew was lurking just beneath the surface. He absently ran his hand along her back, barely feeling her soft skin beneath his fingers. Even a mind-blowing release with Maggie hadn’t quieted the angst that had brought him to her door in the first place.

  Chapter One

  Oh my God. Maggie stared at the line of sticks laying on the bathroom counter. No way would she trust just one test. So there they were, lined up like soldiers, each proudly displaying their two lines, or plus signs, or whatever cutesy approach the manufacturers came up with to announce what to most women was good news. The one that sent her over the edge, though, was the test that proclaimed Pregnant. There was no rationalizing that result away.

  She sank to the floor and her head slumped onto her knees. Rascal wound himself around her feet, begging for attention, but she shoved
him away. How had this happened? This was… she wasn’t supposed to… Oh my God.

  She beat her head against her knees a couple of times and then flopped back against the wall. What was she going to do? What about her practice? Her patients? There wasn’t room for a baby in her condo. Was she going to have to move? Where was she going to find the time to look for a place to live? And, oh God. The baby stuff. She had to buy lots of stuff for the baby. What did babies need?

  Her head swam and a piercing pain set up right behind her left eye. She sat on the floor until the cold from the tile seeped through her skirt and chilled her. Sitting on the cold floor probably wasn’t good for the baby. The baby. Oh my God, I’m going to have a baby.

  She climbed to her feet, and Rascal jumped on the counter, knocking all of the pregnancy tests onto the floor as he brushed up against her, begging for attention. Damn cat. She knelt to throw those bearers of her unexpected surprise into the trashcan. At least if she threw them away, they wouldn’t be staring at her, proclaiming the news she wasn’t ready to deal with.

  On second thought, she should keep one. She might need to show it to… oh, crap. Michael. What in the hell was she going to tell Michael? It wasn’t like he was her boyfriend. They were friends with benefits, occasional lovers, who spent a few hours in bed whenever they could. Which hadn’t happened for at least a month. As a matter of fact, Michael hadn’t stopped by in quite a while.

  She tapped her fingertips, one by one, as she counted back. Seven weeks. That was the longest they’d gone between visits in the eighteen months she’d known him. Since the day she’d met him in that nightclub in Philly and found out he’d grown up in Oak Grove, the town she’d just moved to, they’d rarely gone more than a couple weeks between hookups. How had so much time passed? He hadn’t even texted her. Not that she’d had time to contact him either since she’d been so busy.

  She’d gotten so wrapped up in her patients and her work that her erratic periods hadn’t even been a blip on her radar. Not with all the struggles she’d had in that department. But add in sensitive breasts and feeling like crap to a missed period… or two, and she couldn’t ignore the answer. Not any longer.