Claire Raye

Romance Writers. Wine Drinkers. Make Believers

  • Home
  • Our Books
    • Hibiscus Hearts
    • Badger Creek Duet Series
    • Hawthorn Hills Duet Series
    • One Effed Up Holiday
    • Love & Wine Series
    • Dirty Hollywood Series
    • Rockport Beach Series
    • Come Fly With Me
    • The Memory of Us
  • Bonus Extras
    • Claire Raye Books Reading Order
    • Free Books
    • Bonus Scenes
  • Signed Books
  • Events
  • About Us
    • Contact

Grab your FREE BOOKS!

And stay in the loop with all of our new releases.

Chapter Nine – Ed

Victoria looks up at me, rolling her eyes playfully as a smirk tugs at that sexy fucking mouth of hers. I can’t resist leaning in to give her a kiss, not giving a fuck that we are standing here in front of everyone, waiting to see if she’s going to confirm that we’re a couple or not.

“So clearly that’s a yes,” V finally says, turning to everyone when I eventually pull back.

Julia actually claps hers hands together, a huge grin on her face that makes me laugh out loud over the fact that an Oscar winning movie star is happy about mine and V’s new relationship status.

When I turn to Lewis, he’s smirking at us, clearly amused by this whole thing.

“What?” I ask him.

He chuckles, shaking his head as he glances at V. “Nothin’, just good luck man, she’s a handful.”

“Hey!” Victoria says, hitting him with a death stare. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Lewis lets out a loud laugh, even as Ava shushes him, shaking her head. “Well, I for one am very happy for you both,” she says, smiling. “And, can I also say, it’s about damn time!”

I throw an arm around V’s shoulders, pulling her close. “Yeah, that part was totally V’s fault, just saying.”

“Oh my god,” Victoria huffs, rolling her eyes again. “What is this, gang up on Victoria day or something?”

Now it’s Julia laughing, waving a hand at us as she turns and heads through the entry way to the kitchen at the back. “Come on, enough with the teasing,” she says. “Let’s go talk movie locations and leave poor Victoria alone.”

“Thank you, Julia!” Victoria calls out as the rest of the group follow her through to the kitchen leaving me and V standing alone in the entry way.

“You okay?” I ask her.

She turns to me, her arms slipping around my waist as she smiles up at me. “I’m okay,” she says with a smirk. “Are you?”

Chuckling, I ask, “Of course, why wouldn’t I be okay?”

V tips her head from side to side, the smirk still on her face. “Oh I don’t know, because apparently I’m a handful,” she says, reminding me of Lewis’ earlier comment.

I throw my head back as I let out a loud laugh. “Yeah, well, maybe I like a handful,” I tease, reaching down to grab her arse as if to prove my point. “And I’m pretty sure I can handle it, too,” I add, squeezing hard.

Victoria lets out a low groan, her body pressing against mine. “Jesus, fuck, Ed, what the hell was I thinking making you wait?”

Now it’s me smirking at her. “Right? I mean just think,” I tease. “You could’ve been having this…” I pause, pressing my hips and my obviously hard dick against her. “For the last year if you hadn’t been so damn stubborn.”

“Fuck,” she murmurs. “I’m an idiot. Can I have it for the next year to make up for it?”

Chuckling, I lean down so my mouth is against her ear. “You can have it forever, V.”

Her arms tighten around my waist. “Really?” she whispers against my ear.

“Yep.”

“But…but what about…” she trails off and I hear her swallow hard and I know exactly what she wants to ask me.

“That was different,” I say. “I was different, she was different. I was only eighteen when I got married, twenty when we got divorced. I was young and stupid and we barely knew each other. But you…” I pull back, my eyes finding hers as I now cup her face in my hands.

“What about me?”

“You know what you making me wait for nearly a year really did?” Victoria shakes her head, her eyes never leaving mine. I smile, as I say, “Confirmed to me, three-hundred and sixty-five fucking times that you are the girl of my dreams.”

Victoria laughs, shaking her head again. “Okay sweet talker, and what if after those three-hundred and sixty five days, the sex had been crap and—”

I silence the rest of that question with a hard kiss, smiling as a whimper falls from her mouth. “I think we both know the sex was never going to be crap, V,” I whisper against her mouth. “And for the record, it wasn’t. It was actually fucking spectacular.”

She smiles against my mouth now as we both hear Lewis call out our names, clearly wondering what the hell is taking us so long. “You think maybe we can wrap this up quickly and go have some more spectacular sex?”

“Fuck yes,” I growl.

We spend a couple of hours at Aiden and Julia’s place, me and Aiden going through the shots I took, while the rest of them sit outside chatting. Toward the end, Julia joins us in Aiden’s office where he asks her thoughts on some of the final locations we’ve chosen.

It’s clear he values her opinions too and it’s obvious Julia respects Aiden’s views on things and watching the two of them talk about the vision for Aiden’s movie is like total relationship goals. 

“So, is there anywhere else you want me to shoot?” I ask as we all stand. “I’m happy to try some other locations if you think something’s missing?”

Aiden shakes his head, smiling as he replies, “Nope, but I would like to ask you something else.”

I glance at Julia, who’s also smiling and I get the feeling she knows exactly what this something else is. “Okay, what’s up?”

“Well, I was wondering if you’d like to come along when we start filming, maybe get involved in the still photography side of things on set?”

“Fuck, are you serious?” I blurt out.

Aiden laughs. “Yeah, I am, that’s why I’m asking.”

I’m shaking my head even though what I really want to do is scream yes, abso-fucking-lutely! “But I…I…I don’t have experience with that,” I say instead.

Aiden laughs again as he walks to the door, gesturing for me to follow. “Yeah you do, Ed. You just showed me your experience.”

“But I mean…” I trail off, gathering up my lap top. “That was just shots around London, that wasn’t—”

“Ed,” he says, cutting me off, as he points at the lap top in my arms. “That there is your experience and it tells me you’re a damn good photographer. The kind of photographer I want on my film set.”

“Holy shit,” I exhale, shoving a hand through my hair.

Aiden smiles, as he walks out of the office and I follow behind him. “You can think about it if you want, but I am serious. We start shooting in six months and it’ll be a three month shoot, so if your boss can—”

“Yep, okay, I’m in,” I say not waiting to hear the rest of it, knowing this is way too good an opportunity to pass up. And even though I haven’t even asked Lewis if he’ll let me change my shifts at the pub to work around filming, I’m kinda not even thinking about how I’ll make that work right now. That’s future Ed’s problem to solve.

“Great,” Aiden says, smiling over his shoulder at me. “Now, let’s go have a drink.”

By the time Victoria and I make it back to her place, it’s late, the two of us having stayed at Aiden and Julia’s along with Lewis and Ava all afternoon. We’d spent the afternoon talking and laughing and sharing a few drinks over lunch.

As a result, we are also both a little drunk and I’m grateful that Aiden was cool with me leaving the car because I sure as shit wasn’t in any condition to drive.

“So are you going to quit the pub when this all starts?” Victoria asks as she walks up the stairs to her flat.

“No idea,” I reply, my hands on her hips and my eyes on her arse. “I think Lewis is happy for me to work when I can and see how it goes.”

Victoria grins at me as she unlocks her front door. “So I guess in addition to sleeping together, we’re also gonna be working together.”

“Huh?” I ask as I follow her inside, kicking the door closed behind me.

She smirks, her hands on my belt as she starts to undo the buckle. “Yeah, I’m helping out with make-up,” she says. “For some reason, Julia loves what I can do with her face and she wants me to be her permanent on and off set make-up artist.”

“Holy fuck, V, that’s awesome,” I say, as I lift her shirt off.

“Right?” she says, smiling as she pushes my jeans down my hips.

I toe my boots off, before kicking the demin off as I walk us back to Victoria’s bedroom. “So,” I say, my fingers on the button and zip of her jeans. “Working together at the bar,” I say, pushing her jeans down. “Working together on set,” I add, my hands on her hips, before sliding up her sides to the clasp of her bra. “And sleeping together.” 

Victoria smirks, pulling my t-shirt off so we are both standing in our undies. “Think you can handle that much of me, Ed?”

Chuckling, I grip the sides of her panties as I yank her close. “Yeah. In fact, I think we should just go all in and live together too.”

Victoria pauses, her hands on my chest and her eyes wide as she looks up at me. “Seriously?”

“Yep,” I say with a nod.

“But what about…”

“Victoria,” I whisper, pushing her panties down her legs.

“Yeah,” she breathes out.

I wrap her in my arms, pulling her close so her body is flush with mine. “I know what you’re thinking and I get it, okay,” I say. “To you, this all feels really fast.”

She swallows hard, her tongue poking out to wet her lips. “It doesn’t to you?”

“Nope,” I say, grinning. “To me, this is three hundred and sixty-five days of me knowing I’m absolutely fucking crazy about you, remember.”

“Ed…” she murmurs.

I drop my head, burying my face against her neck and inhaling deeply, loving the feel of her naked body pressed against mine. “I’m not rushing this, Victoria,” I whisper against her skin. “I know what I want,” I add, kissing her pulse before lifting my head to meet her gaze.

“What?” she whispers, her eyes wide.

I smile, leaning in to kiss her mouth this time. “I want you. All day, every day. Always.”

“But what if…what if this is too much, too fast and we ruin things?”

“Does it feel too fast to you?” I ask her, knowing there isn’t a chance in hell that what I’m feeling toward her is one-sided.

She smiles now, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as she shakes her head. “No,” she admits.

A huge grin pulls at my mouth that I’m powerless to stop. “Good, so let’s do it.”

She takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly, her eyes never leaving mine. “Okay,” she eventually says, nodding. “You want to move in here?”

I chuckle. “I don’t care, you wanna see my place first before we decide? You know, for a balanced decision and all?’

Victoria laughs, her hands moving down my chest to my boxer briefs. She plays with the waist band, dipping her fingers and brushing them against the head of my cock before she pushes them off my hips.

“I mean, that would probably be the fair thing to do,” she replies, a cheeky grin on her face. “You wanna go now?” she asks, her hand moving to grip my cock and give it one long slow stroke that has my eyes rolling back with how fucking good it feels.

Chuckling, I shake my head as my hands slide down to her arse and I pick her up, V’s legs immediately wrapping around my waist. She’s so perfectly lined up against me that I don’t even bother walking us over to the bed, instead turning, I back her up against the wall and push inside her.

“Fuck,” she groans as I bury myself inside her in one hard thrust.

“Changed your mind?” I tease, my face against her neck as my hips pull back before pushing inside her again.

“Hmmm,” she murmurs, her heels digging into my arse as if to urge me closer, deeper.

I kiss my way up to her mouth. “What does hmmm mean?” I tease, my lips brushing against hers.

She smiles, gently tugging on my bottom lip with her teeth. “Hmmm means we can decide where we live tomorrow,” she murmurs, groaning as I pull out before pushing inside her again. “Right now, I just need you to fuck me.”

“Good answer, Victoria,” I say, before kissing her hard as I fuck her against the wall, so damn grateful this woman finally let me prove to her how much I want her.

Thank you for reading Ed & V’s Dirty Hollywood novella, we hope you’ve enjoyed their story!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Follow us on Instagram @claire_raye_author

Soooo spicy this one… His hand moves from my th Soooo spicy this one…

His hand moves from my thigh to my wrist, grabbing it, he pulls me up from the chair. Without words, I’m following him away from the crowd and down a hallway. Neither of us speaks, and when he comes to a room far enough away, he punches in a code. The door opens to a storage room filled with shelves loaded down with cleaning supplies and towels, a stationary sink in the corner for filling buckets. Shoving the door closed behind us, he backs me up against it, his body flush with mine. Our chests are heaving, heat radiating between us.

❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥
Grab it while you can! Broken Hearts, the angsty n Grab it while you can! Broken Hearts, the angsty new adult romance that kicks off our brand new Hawaii Hibiscus Hearts series is currently free!! If you love broken boy meets grieving girl, found family, he falls first vibes, then you’ll love this!! 🏄🏻‍♀️🌺🏄🏻‍♂️🏝️🌋
Whoa…it’s getting hot in here! ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

“Sloane, jesus,” I groan, kissing her, our tongues tangling together as I grind against her, desperate to be inside her but also wanting to wait because this is a moment I’ve been dreaming of forever. A moment I don’t want to rush or forget. Ever. “I want you so fucking bad.” 

“I need you,” she says, her words a plea, begging me almost. 

I lift my head, our eyes meeting. “Fuck, I need you too,” I whisper. 

She smiles up at me, her hands on my chest as they slide down my stomach to my dick. She curls one of them around me, her grip firm. 

“You are so hard,” she says.
Broken Hearts, book one in our Hibiscus Hearts ser Broken Hearts, book one in our Hibiscus Hearts series is free and perfect if you love…
🏄🏻‍♀️ grieving girl
🏄🏻‍♂️ broken boy
🏄🏻‍♀️ enemies to lovers
🏄🏻‍♂️ forced proximity
🏄🏻‍♀️ island life 
🏄🏻‍♂️ he falls first
🏄🏻‍♀️ found family
🏄🏻‍♂️ steamy waterfall scene
Owen’s hand skates up my thigh, and I’m so wet Owen’s hand skates up my thigh, and I’m so wet it’s almost embarrassing, but he moves past, his hand now on my stomach. His other hand toys with the hem of my dress, and when he doesn’t move, I pull my dress up, slipping it over my head and tossing it to the side, leaving myself in just my bra and underwear. “Sloane,” Owen rasps, a question to my name, and I nod, telling him I want him too.

❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥
Grab it for free while you still can and before bo Grab it for free while you still can and before book 3 drops in July!! Available on all platforms 🤙🏻🏄🏻‍♂️🌺🏄🏻‍♀️
Spicy Chapter Teaser Time…and it only gets hotte Spicy Chapter Teaser Time…and it only gets hotter from here!

“Oh wow,” she breathes out before I crush my mouth against hers in a hard kiss. 

Sloane’s legs tighten around my waist as she kisses me back, our teeth and tongues and lips colliding in a hungry, almost desperate kiss. 

“Fuck, you are gorgeous,” I murmur against her mouth. 

Sloane smiles at me, unlocking her arms as she drags her hands across my shoulders and down my chest to my stomach. “So are you,” she whispers, her hands moving lower still until she reaches the waistband of my shorts. As her fingers play with the tie, she looks up at me, a question in her eyes.
We are getting so close to the release of Owen and We are getting so close to the release of Owen and Sloane’s book, Fragile Hearts!! If you need a trope reminder of what you can expect from their spicy little story, here it is!
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Goodreads
  • Instagram
  • TikTok

Copyright © 2025 · Claire Raye · Hello You Designs