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Category:
Romance
ISBN-10: 1942336020
ISBN-13: 9781942336020
Price: FREE! (eBook)
Noah Masters is looking for his future. He never expected it to find it in her.
After crashing and burning his racing career Noah Masters has to figure out what to do with his life. His cousin Alex suggests he find a way to channel his creative energy in a way that doesn’t involve him putting his life in danger.
Then Noah meets his step-mother’s teenage sister Charlie, and he finds he doesn’t have to risk his life to find his future—he just has to risk his heart.
This title is FREE on most online retailers.
Excerpt
Chapter 1
The door to the hospital room creaked open, waking him up. Can’t get any fucking sleep in this place, Noah thought, cracking an eyelid.
At first he thought the tall man in the suit was his father, but the blur in the suit was too tall and muscular and its hair was the wrong color.
“Alex,” he said hoarsely as he recognized his cousin.
Alexandros Hanas clucked his tongue as he examined the cast covering Noah’s left leg, which was currently suspended with a complicated looking contraption over the bed.
“Glad to see you’re mostly in one piece,” he said. “I saw the footage of the crash online. It looked pretty nasty.”
“Yeah,” Noah said. “I did sort of get knocked around this time.”
Alex nodded. The concern in his eyes made Noah’s chest tighten up, which also hurt, since he’d cracked a couple of ribs in addition to breaking his leg and sustaining a mild concussion.
He squinted up at his cousin. Alex was a taller, darker version of him—older by a decade. Noah had always looked up to his dynamic and imposing cousin. People said they resembled each other, but he didn’t see it. Alex was more muscular with more classical features. Noah was a mixture of his blond father and Greek mother, who’d been sisters with Alex’s mother.
Both their mothers had passed away years ago.
“Has your dad been by?” Alex asked, taking a seat next to the bed.
“He came yesterday. After determining there was no permanent damage—nothing to keep me from fathering a grandchild who will turn out better than me—he went back to work.”
Alex winced. “Your father loves you. He’s just worried about your future. You can’t race cars for the rest of your life,” he said sympathetically. His eyebrows rose. “You don’t plan on doing it forever, do you?”
Noah sighed. “I had already decided to try something else when the accident happened. My heart’s not really in it anymore.”
Truthfully, he hadn’t been into much of anything lately. But instead of feeling apathetic and bored, he felt restless, as if his skin was too tight. And this time he didn’t have some other outlet like racing already picked out to channel his energy.
Alex exhaled loudly. “That’s good. I thought I was going to have a hard time talking you into giving it up.”
Noah grinned. Alex had always been good to him, but he was one to talk. His older cousin had set the standard for reckless daredevil behavior—or at least he had until he’d gotten married to Elynn. Now Alex was all about spoiling his wife and making babies.
“Any idea of what you want to do now?” Alex asked.
Noah’s smile fell away, and he let his head fall back onto the pillow. “Not sure.”
Alex’s head tilted as he studied him. “You remind me of myself a decade ago. Know what worked for me?”
“Getting a hot wife and knocking her up?”
His cousin’s grin was a touch embarrassed. “Well, basically yeah. But you don’t necessarily need a woman. More like something to channel your energy into—a creative endeavor. You need to build something you can touch with your two hands. Trust me, there’s nothing like it. And you could finally start putting that business degree to use.”
“If you’re about to suggest I go work with my dad, I may have to chew this broken leg off so I can escape.”
Alex rolled his eyes. “Nothing so dire. I was thinking of something local for Hanas Industries, but if that doesn’t work for you, then something outside the family. I’m sure Sergei would love to have you at Damov Industries, or you could think about working in one of Calen’s clubs.”
Before he’d hit the racing circuit, Noah had spent a lot of time with Alex’s friends, Sergei Damov and Calen McLachlan—more than his cousin, actually, since Alex divided his time between London and Oxford. Both of his friends were good men who had taken chances to build their own little empires. Noah had a lot of respect for them and what they had accomplished.
He considered the job offer, but his head was too full to make any important decisions. “I’ll think about it.”
Alex opened his arms expansively. “That’s all I ask,” he said, before launching into yet another anecdote about something funny Elynn had done.
Noah had heard the story before, but he listened to his cousin indulgently. After all, Alex had flown out all of the way from the UK to check on him.
“I hear your dad remarried recently,” Alex said during a lull in the conversation.
“That’s right,” Noah replied. “I have a new mommy. And a step-cousin or something.”
“A step-what?”
“Dad’s new wife has a much younger sister. A legal ward or something. Although she’s over eighteen now, so maybe the legal situation is moot. I don’t know what that makes her to me, but dad said to consider her family. Like a sister,” he said with a yawn, thinking cynically that his father wouldn’t do the same. “She’s supposed to have graduated from high school already, but she’s still there cause she was sick or something and missed too much school a while back.”
Or at least that’s what he’d thought Henry had said. Given how little time he spent with his father, the fact he’d acquired a new stepmother wasn’t all that significant. It was his father’s fourth marriage. Or was it fifth? Yes, that was right. Henry Masters was on wife number five.
It wasn’t Noah’s first pseudo-sibling either. His dad had married one woman with a son and daughter years ago, but after he divorced their mother, Noah stopped hearing from them. It used to bother him, but he’d gotten used to it.
“I think she’s your step-aunt. But maybe also step-sister if her sister adopted her. Is she pretty?” Alex asked with a funny little half smile.
Noah had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. “I don’t think I’m going to find my fate under my father’s roof like you did.”
Alex grinned and shrugged. “You’re probably right.”
Chapter 2
Four months later.
Noah stretched out on the poolside lounge chair, sipping a beer. The sun warmed his face, but the glare was too bright. Slipping on his shades, he sank deeper into the recliner, trying to ignore the raucous noise coming from the guys splashing in the Olympic-sized swimming pool. They were so loud they managed to drown out the roar of the fake waterfall his father refused to tear down.
As soon as his friends heard he was coming up to his dad’s summer house in the Hampton’s, he’d received no less than six calls from guys already in town. Put on the spot, he’d agreed to have them over. And now here they were, drinking his beer and giving him a headache.
Noah was surprised there were so many of them—the season hadn’t officially started yet. He’d only been at the house an hour before they descended. And he might be enjoying this gathering a bit more if he’d had a little more time to decompress. Or at least get some sleep. He hadn't gotten a lot of it since the accident.
As it was, his friends were disappointed that he nixed the idea of a party, but they’d gotten over it the more they drank.
Flexing his left leg, he stretched his stiff muscles. He’d definitely done the right thing getting away after the accident. As soon as the cast had come off, he’d taken off to hike in the Rockies. When that wasn’t exotic enough, he’d hit the Inca Trail, ending up in Machu Picchu before finally coming back—once he was sure he was back to his old self.
Unfortunately, his old self was homeless. Noah hadn’t bothered to keep an apartment in the States since he’d been traveling so much. His real estate agent was looking for one in Manhattan, with little success. The market was too crowded.
But despite that he was second guessing staying at the summer house. He hadn’t seen the staff here in years. And their curiosity seemed to be getting the better of them—they were all watching him a little too closely.
He knew better than to suspect the staff would spy on him for his father. Henry wasn’t popular enough with them for that, so Noah could put up with their interest. They were simply surprised to see him. The novelty would wear off in a couple of days and they’d stop peeking at him from behind the curtains.
And as long as his father stayed away in Asia on business then he was spared another lecture on picking a direction in life and following through on it. The only reason Henry hadn’t written him out of his will was due to the Harvard Business Degree Noah had earned before taking up his racing career.
Noah’s racing sponsors had been unhappy to hear he wasn’t coming back, but he hadn’t been under contract, so they had no choice but to deal with it.
At the moment they were offering him an absurd sum of money to come back. He was one of the most popular young faces on the circuit, and he definitely had the most female fans. But he had no intention of racing again. There was nothing new there for him. Once his sponsors accepted that, they’d soon find a replacement. Noah had only been with them for a few years, burning up the track and cementing a winning reputation in his first year.
Before that, he’d been a semi-pro surfer for a few months, and prior to that, a beach bum. At twenty-two, he’d worn a lot of hats. But never a suit.
He might have to rethink the suit. Since he’d left the hospital, Noah had been seriously considering his cousin’s offer. He didn’t want to work for any of the family businesses. And although managing one of Calen’s clubs sounded like fun in theory, he suspected he would soon grow bored. But Damov Industries had its fingers in a lot of pies, some of which included manufacturing.
Alex had emailed him some early drafts of a next-generation hybrid engine Sergei’s company was developing that looked interesting. Noah wasn’t an engineer, but he did know engines. The idea of helping bring that one off the drawing board had a lot of appeal. But borrowing on Alex’s friendship with Sergei to actually get the job didn’t sit well with him.
“Going to get another beer!” Sammy shouted from across the pool.
Noah repressed a sigh. Sammy didn’t need another one, but as long he didn’t throw up in the pool, or cut his fucking hand open on a broken bottle, there was no need to get on his case. The last thing he wanted was to have to start policing his dumb-ass friends.
His bottle was light. Swigging the last bit, he raised his head and called out to Sammy through the open kitchen door to bring him a refill. When Sammy didn’t reply, he tried again. A few minutes passed. Swearing, he stood up and headed to the kitchen.
The sight that met his eyes stopped him in his tracks.
Sammy was leaning against the cabinet, effectively trapping a young girl in a schoolgirl uniform against the counter. Belatedly, he recognized the Dalton Academy crest, his alma mater, embroidered on her shirt pocket. The plaid skirt was also in their colors.
The girl had dark hair and full rosy lips under a pair of huge glasses. But the thick frames weren’t enough to obscure her fine features or the glow in her skin. And while her face was lovely, it may have paled in comparison to her body.
She was tall and lithe with long legs, and full breasts. The skirt wasn’t all that short, but it was apparently short enough to give Sammy ideas. The stranger must have had some insight into what those were because she looked terrified.
Shit. This must be Darla’s little sister. What the hell was her name?
Suddenly, Sammy swooped in to steal a kiss. The girl grimaced and put her arms up, trying to push him away. The poor thing was trying to get her head as far away from the drunken idiot as possible. The little whimper that escaped as she did it prodded his conscience sharply.
“Okay, shithead. That’s enough,” Noah said, stepping up to haul Sammy away with a rough hand on his shoulder.
The jerk gave him a drunken smirk as he swayed on his feet. “I was just saying hello.”
Exasperated, Noah shook his head. “Can’t you tell you’re scaring her, you stupid fuck?”
He glanced at the girl and swore under his breath. Her big brown eyes had filled with tears. She was blinking rapidly, trying not to let them fall. When her eyes made contact with his, she looked away. He tugged on Sammy’s arm, pulling him farther away. As soon as she had enough room to avoid touching them, she bolted out the door.
Sammy, the idiot, tried to follow her but Noah grabbed him by the shirt collar and shoved him out the back door.
Noah glanced back in the direction the girl had taken, but decided against going after her. For now. He would apologize later, after she had a chance to collect herself. In the meantime, he would get rid of his guests.
Chapter 3
It had taken a lot longer to get rid of his jackass friends than he’d intended. Dusk had fallen when he finally made it up the stairs to look for Charlie.
Charlie Sutton. The housekeeper had told him what her name was. It was a nice name, he reflected as he made a right at the top of the stairs.
He didn’t know where her room was, but he knew his father. Henry would have put a teenage girl as far from the master bedroom as possible.
Even though he knew his father wasn’t likely to be nominated for any parenting awards, it was still a little hard to believe that he and his new stepmother had left Charlie completely unsupervised when they went off to Asia. Especially considering that the business trip was slated to last more than a month. He could only guess what his new stepmother thought about it.
Well Charlie is over eighteen. And it wasn't like they could pull her out of school every time his father went on a business trip.
Noah knew exactly when he found the right room. It had a sparkly pink C embedded in the white paint. The bedroom was smaller than the others, but if memory served, this room had one major benefit. The double doors led to one of the large balcony terraces overlooking the ocean.
He knocked. When nothing happened, he pressed his ear to the C. There was a faint sound of running water. He cracked the door a few inches.
“Hello?” he called out.
There was no answer. He opened the door wider and walked into the room.
Wow.
Inside, his eyes were assaulted by the bright pink shade of the walls. It looked like someone had sprayed Pepto-Bismol over them. It was awful. To make matters worse, the room was dominated by an overly large princess bed that crowded the space.
Oddly enough, the posts were naked, as if someone had stripped them of the flowing curtains they were supposed to bear. He could still see a forgotten ribbon tied to one of them. A simple cotton comforter was stretched over the mattress and a white desk had been squeezed against the wall next to the balcony doors. It was covered in piles of thick textbooks next to a bookshelf so crowded, the supporting slats of wood bowed under the weight.
Despite the personality suggested by the color of the room, they weren’t any movie star posters or any makeup or perfume on the dresser. Just more books. Aware he was snooping, he stepped father into the room. The water was still running. He walked to the open door of the bathroom.
Charlie was at the sink brushing her teeth. Vigorously.
Shit. He sincerely hoped she hadn’t been brushing all this time. “Charlie?” he called out.
She spun around, toothbrush in hand. She had taken off her glasses and changed out of her school uniform into a plain cotton nightgown. The dress was an ankle length shift that flowed around her loosely, showing no hint of the lovely shape underneath. It was like something from another century, but somehow it looked right on her.
Charlie’s eyes were wide as they took him in. Her cheeks reddened, and he felt like an intruder.
“I’m sorry to barge in here like this, but I wanted to apologize for Sammy. He’s an asshole sometimes, but when he drinks, he acquires a case of terminal stupidity, too.”
Charlie continued to stare at him, frozen with her toothbrush in hand.
Her mahogany colored hair gleamed under the light, contrasting with the creamy ivory of her skin. She really is stunning. He honestly couldn’t blame Sammy for stealing a kiss.
When she remained still, Noah thought he was probably intimidating her. He tried to make himself smaller by crouching a little. “Hi, by the way. I’m Noah.”
Charlie blinked. “I know.” She twisted and turned off the water tap behind her before turning back to him. “I’m sorry. You surprised me.”
Glad that had done the trick, he pointed to the toothbrush and tried not to wince. “I hope that’s not because of what happened earlier.”
Charlie’s face fell, and he felt like crap. She waved the toothbrush.
“I shouldn’t be making this big a deal about it.”
He walked up and put his hands on her shoulders. “You don’t have to feel bad about feeling bad. He shouldn’t have touched you. Hell, he shouldn’t have breathed on you with that nasty beer breath.”
One corner of Charlie’s mouth twisted, but it wasn’t a smile. To his dismay, she started blinking rapidly again.
“Oh no, don’t do that,” he said helplessly, patting her awkwardly on the back.
Charlie covered her face with one hand and shook her head slightly. “I’m being ridiculous.”
“No, you’re not,” he insisted.
“I am. But—”
Noah frowned. “What is it?”
She sighed. “It was my first kiss,” she said in a small voice.
Fucking hell. How was that even possible?
“Really?” he asked with a disbelieving scowl.
Charlie looked at him and then quickly away. Making an effort to smooth his features he apologized.
“Sorry. It’s just hard to believe. You’re so...”
He didn’t finish, but Charlie blushed anyway. A little warm himself, he removed his hands from her shoulders and took a step back so he wouldn’t crowd her.
“Thanks for coming up and everything, but I’m overreacting. All I need is a redo. I'll just pretend it never happened,” she joked weakly.
Noah paused and then shook his head.
“You’re not overreacting,” he said slowly. “A girl’s first kiss should be special. I can help.”
Charlie made a face at him. The move called attention to a few cute little freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her nose. “What do you mean?”
“You said you need to redo your first kiss. That’s a great idea. But not here,” he said, gesturing to the bright walls.
Charlie sighed. “Yeah, it’s like a unicorn was butchered in here,” she said, startling him into a laugh. She shrugged. “This is my sister’s teen dream bedroom. Not mine.”
“Don’t worry. I get it. Stepmother number two did my room in the city entirely in pastels. It was so humiliating whenever any of my friends came over.”
She giggled. Pleased that he’d been able to cheer her up he felt energized. But his work wasn’t done yet.
“You have to let me make this up to you,” he said.
Charlie put her hands on her hips. “You want to paint my room?”
He laughed. “No, I’m volunteering to help you redo your first kiss.”
She froze. “No, thank you.”
Noah felt a tiny little stab of disappointment before brushing it aside. “I’m not taking no for an answer. It’s my fault your first kiss was ruined so it’s up to me to make it up to you,” he said with an entreating smile as he backed away toward the balcony.
Charlie licked her lips. “Please don’t,” she said in a low voice, her face creased with unhappiness.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
What do you think is wrong? You’re behaving like an ass. Why would she want to kiss him? He was worse than Sammy. All those mobs of female racing fans had clearly gone to his head.
Charlie’s hands twisted together.
“I was joking, not making a suggestion. And handsome celebrities don’t go around kissing random strangers. You...you’re either feeling sorry for me or you’re making fun of me. Neither is a good reason to kiss you,” she said softly.
Well, that wasn’t exactly a rejection. And she thinks you’re handsome.
“Aw hell, that’s not true. Yes, I’m feeling chivalrous‚ but trust me, guys only act this way when there is a pretty girl involved,” he said, crossing the threshold of the balcony and then turning to beckon her with a wag of his finger.
****
Charlie stared at Noah, uncertain what to do.
Kiss him, you idiot!
She gave herself a little shake. Her head was spinning slightly, and it was all due to Noah’s proximity. She had never been alone in her bedroom with a boy before. Not that Noah resembled a boy in any way. He was a man—an uncomfortably handsome one.
Noah was tall with brown hair and hazel eyes. His body was tall and muscular without being too bulky. And he was famous. He had gone to her school, Dalton Academy, and people there still talked about him constantly even though he had only attended for a few years before graduating early. His picture was in the trophy case next to a huge basketball trophy and his name was on another good-sized soccer plaque. Both the students and faculty followed his racing career.
Her stepfather Henry had said he was twenty-two now, which was crazy. Noah had finished college and gotten a masters degree in less than three years. After he finished school Fortune 500 companies had vied to recruit him, but then he’d given it all up to race cars—much to Henry’s irritation.
Charlie had never told anyone her sister had married his father.
“Why are you doing this?”
Noah shrugged. “Because I want to,” he said with a charming grin as he held out his hand.
Feeling dizzy, she took a hesitant step forward. He reached over and took her hand to lead her outside. She almost changed her mind when her bare feet made contact with the cool tiles of the balcony, but he drew her to the walled edge to watch the surf and she followed, almost instinctively.
Noah straightened. “We are going to do a little role-playing,” Noah said, looking down at her with warm eyes. “Pretend we’re at one of Dalton’s post-game parties on the beach.”
He must think she was popular.
“Err...I’ve never been to one of those,” she admitted with a brief duck of her head.
He hesitated before smiling again. “No worries. It’s pretty much like you imagine. People drinking bad beer and making out farther down the beach.”
Charlie stiffened.
Noah’s smile grew broader. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to maul you. We’re going to pretend to take a little stroll away from the imaginary crowd.” When she didn’t take his outstretched hand, he cocked his head at her. “C’mon, what’s the harm in a little walk?”
Something told her this was a bad idea, but she ignored her misgivings and took his hand.
Her body heated at his touch, but he didn’t seem to notice. Outside, the light was fading, but the balcony wasn’t dark. It was lit by the lights inside the house through the glass balcony doors that lined one side. Her room was next to a series of salons and offices that opened onto the terrace on the east side of the house. The master bedroom had a private balcony on the other side of the house.
Noah held her hand firmly as they made a circuit of the balcony terrace, making polite small talk the whole way. He pretended they had just met, asking about her classes, where she had grown up, and what she liked to do in her spare time.
At first Charlie answered his questions hesitantly, but Noah was so friendly and open that soon she was spilling her guts. She told him all about her love of poetry and her desire to work in the art world one day.
He leaned against the balcony wall and stared off in the direction of the beach. “That sounds like fun. I wish I was artistic, but I can’t draw a straight line.”
“Oh, I’m not a good artist. I’m only sort of okay. But I appreciate other people's work,” she said, taking advantage of his inattention to study Noah’s face.
On TV and in magazines he always looked handsome. In real life he was gorgeous—almost too pretty to be real. And she hadn’t expected him to be so modest. Who cared that he couldn’t draw? He was Noah Masters.
She couldn’t believe he was even talking to her. Given the way her life tended to go, she’d actually expected a much colder reception from him. From the little she knew, he didn’t get along that well with his father. Being nice to his father’s new family should have been a low priority. But Noah seemed so nice and down to earth for a celebrity…not that she knew any others.
Charlie understood having mixed feelings about a parent. Darla wasn’t her mother, but she was the closest thing Charlie had ever had. She had become Charlie’s legal guardian when she was four and Darla was twenty. Their parents had died in a car accident, and if her sister hadn’t taken her in, she would have gone into foster care. Darla had saved her from all that, but life had still been difficult at times.
Her sister was a force of nature, bright and beautiful, the kind of person who made you feel like you were part of something special by being around her. But Charlie had been with her in the lean times, before she had managed to catch two rich men in succession.
During that period, Darla had dragged Charlie from town to town, living off the largess of different men in between sporadic jobs. As a result, Charlie had fallen behind in school—so much that she was a year older than most of her classmates.
Although Charlie had appreciated everything Darla had done for her, she hated every second of that vagabond existence. She’d welcomed life with her sister’s ex-husband. Darla had married the much older businessman when Charlie was thirteen and life had finally settled down. She had to repeat the seventh grade, but with hard work, her grades had improved dramatically.
Life had been good. And then Darla had thrown a wrench into everything last year when Martin had taken her to a business party hosted by Henry Masters. After a whirlwind affair, Darla had divorced Martin and a few months later, married Henry.
Charlie still missed Martin. She had tried to call him a few times, but now that the divorce was final, he wanted nothing to do with her.
“I’ve lost you.”
Charlie’s head snapped up. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I seem to have lost your attention. Sorry, I’m usually considered a witty conversationalist,” Noah said with a self-deprecating smile.
She blushed. “Oh no, you’re great. I was...thinking.”
“About what?”
Charlie fidgeted. “That we might have something in common.”
“And what might that be?”
“We both have complicated relationships with our nearest family.”
Noah stiffened, and his amused expression dropped away.
Charlie hurried to apologize. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be so presumptuous. But Henry said we wouldn’t see you before Christmas. He implied things were strained between the two of you.”
He gave her a long stare and then exhaled. “They are. I wouldn’t be here right now if my father was home. Hell, I probably wouldn’t be in the same state. Don’t get me wrong. We love each other and all, but we can’t be in a room for more than twenty minutes without getting into an argument about my future.”
“My problem is that my sister has never spent much time thinking about mine,” Charlie confessed with downcast eyes. “Maybe having an overly concerned parent is not such a bad thing.”
Noah shifted his weight back and forth a few times. “I don’t know about that. Something tells me if we managed to mash up Darla and my dad together, we’d both be better off, but since we can’t do that, let’s hope they rub off on each other the more time they spend together.”
Charlie agreed softly, momentarily forgetting what they were supposed to be doing. She no longer felt like play-acting.
“If you don’t mind, do you think we can forget the redo? I should get some more studying done before I go to bed.”
Noah looked baffled. “On a Friday night?”
Charlie nodded but didn’t explain. How could she tell him that she was too worried that her sister’s new marriage was going to fall apart and she would be pulled out of school again? She needed to take advantage of the education she was getting for as long as she could.
Her faux escort shrugged off her change of heart. “Well, milady, allow me to escort you home,” he said, offering his arm in an old fashioned gesture.
Charlie smiled despite herself. Noah’s charm was lethal. She was going to have to be careful when they saw each other in the future. It would be unfortunate if she developed any real feelings for him. She didn’t want to be the girl with a pathetic crush.
She took his arm, and they walked inside her room. The glaring pink of the walls made her terribly self-conscious as she removed her hand from his muscled arm.
He caught her looking at them. “If you want, I can have some painters sent.”
Charlie laughed. “No. Better leave it this way, or I’ll never hear the end of it from Darla.”
Noah cocked his head to one side. “She would mind that much?”
Charlie bit her lip. She was suddenly worried. The last thing she wanted to do was create friction in her new family, but she might have inadvertently done that already.
You shouldn’t have said anything about Darla!
She hadn’t meant to throw her sister under the bus, but Charlie had spoken without thinking while trying to find common ground with Noah. Darla would kill her if he had a bad impression of her before they even met.
“No, of course not. I don’t want to give you the wrong idea. Darla wants me to have everything she didn’t—the big bed and the pink room. It’s her favorite color,” she said, backtracking. “My little complaints don’t have anything in common with what a husband might think. Henry is very important to my sister.”
Noah studied her face quietly as if he was understanding a different meaning from her words.
“Of course he is,” he said softly. His expression changed suddenly. “We forgot to dance!”
“What?”
“No wonder our date was a failure. We forgot to go dancing.”
He took her in his arms and swept her into an impromptu waltz. Before she had a chance to protest, he spun her in a fast circle, his left hand warm on her hip.
With a dazzling grin, Noah waltzed her in a series of concentric circles before abruptly stopping. Still carried by the momentum, Charlie crashed into Noah.
“Sorry.” He laughed before his face grew serious.
He was panting slightly as he looked down at her face curiously. Slowly, he lowered his head, not stopping until his lips were a hairsbreadth from hers.
With her heart pounding loudly in her ears, Charlie leaned forward, closing the distance between them.
His lips came down on hers, the pressure light and sweet. Her eyes drifted closed as his right hand dropped to join the other on her waist. He tugged her forward until her body was flush against him.
The full body contact was unexpected. Startled, Charlie parted her lips. His tongue touched hers briefly before drawing back as if he was hesitating. But she didn’t. Before she could chicken out she gave his tongue a quick stroke with hers.
His uncertainty melted away. In the next heartbeat, he slipped his tongue into her mouth, taking possession with a hard, aggressive kiss.
Chapter 4
Noah lost his mind. One moment it was there, and the next it was gone, trampled in a rush of heat so intense his vision darkened.
Charlie was pressing against him, her tongue trying to match the movements of his own as her hands dug into his shoulders. He could tell she didn’t know what she was doing—she was too hesitant. But it didn’t matter. There was something here, something stronger than he had ever felt.
He inhaled through his nose deeply and moved his hands to cup Charlie’s curvy little rear end to bring her closer. His entire body tightened in pleasure, but it was too intense. He felt like a bowstring about to snap.
When Charlie moaned in pleasure, the little control he had splintered. Grabbing her ass, he lifted her feet clear off the ground, pressing her against the wall next to the bathroom door. Her arms wrapped around his neck, one small hand clutching at his hair. Blindly, he moved against her, his shaft hard and hot as it made contact with her softness. Only a few thin layers of cotton separated them.
Charlie’s mouth was so sweet. Her taste was like a drug, an addictive substance that was starting to seep into his blood. He could smell her arousal as she grew wetter and hotter in his arms.
Unable to think, Noah began to grind against her, squeezing and cupping her ass as he instinctively fought to bring them together.
Her head fell to one side, breaking their kiss so she could gasp for breath. Noah lifted her higher in his arms so his mouth could flame up and down her neck. He let one of her legs down for extra support, freeing one of his hands. Before he could stop to think about it, he was pulling her dress up higher so he could reach under her panties.
Noah froze when he touched the scalding heat of her wet center. “Fuck. What am I doing?”
Trying to be gentle—but quick—he let her go and stepped away.
Without his support, Charlie could barely stand. Trembling slightly, she leaned against the wall for support.
They were both panting for breath. She moved one shaky hand to her breasts. The other pressed between her legs, tightening the plain cotton gown over her pussy.
The look on her face was one of anguish.
“Oh, god,” she whispered as her eyes rolled back. A shudder passed over her. “Why does it hurt?”
Holy fuck.
That was the last thing he needed to hear. A surge of lust swept through him—his body’s answering cry to her siren’s call. Grimacing, he slammed his fist into the wall above her head as he pressed his eyes tightly shut.
His voice sounded like gravel when he answered. “It’s sometimes like that,” he said eventually, trying to explain. “Desire—real desire—sometimes hurts.”
Intellectually, he knew his words were true, but he wasn’t speaking from experience. Noah had never experienced a heat like this. Nothing about what he was feeling was normal. Even his hands were shaking.
“I have to leave,” he whispered.
Noah backed away from Charlie as if she were dangerous. And she was—at least when he was near her. He took one last look at her small form, still slumped against the wall, and then he turned and left. He bypassed his bedroom, stopping only long enough to pick up his keys and wallet from the kitchen downstairs.
His feet were unsteady as he made it to his car. He drove away to find a hotel room for the night. There was no way in hell he could trust himself under the same roof as Charlie.
****
For a long time she couldn't seem to catch her breath. Charlie didn't know how long she stayed leaning against the wall for support. It was longer than she cared to admit. Slowly she picked herself and stood up straight. She wanted to go and find Noah, but she'd heard his car outside. He was gone.
She knew he had done the right thing by leaving, but she couldn't help wishing he hadn't. Which was slightly insane. But she couldn't help herself. Her skin was still hot and her mind kept flashing back to those moments when he had touched her.
It had been so much more than a first kiss.
Eventually Charlie turned off the lights and got into bed. There was no way she could focus on her books tonight. For a split second she thought about washing up, but immediately dismissed the idea.
She could still smell Noah on her. And she didn't want to wash his scent off of her.
****
Noah spent a restless night at the Caislean Hampton’s hotel. Despite the soft bed, he’d lain awake most of the night, shifting back and forth. Two cold showers had done nothing to cool down the fire burning inside him. He’d finally passed out somewhere near dawn. When he woke up the next morning, his head hurt as if he had a hangover.
But it wasn’t a hangover. It was withdrawal.
He couldn’t get Charlie out of his head. And not only the physical stuff. He’d gone over every word she’d said to him about her life and her interests. She liked to read and write poetry, but wanted to work in an art museum someday. And there had been her sense of humor. That crack about the unicorn and other little ways she phrased things—she was genuinely funny in a slightly off-kilter cerebral kind of way.
This was crazy. Twenty-four hours ago, he’d never laid eyes on her. Now he could feel her in his blood. What was happening to him? He’d only meant to give her a quick peck on the lips to make up for what Sammy had done. It should have been easy to charm her and go about his business.
Women had never been a problem. He’d always had a comfortable relationship with them. It was true they came in and out of his life with great regularity. His relationships tended to be short, but that was because he stayed on the move most of the time. He liked to think a stable, monogamous relationship would be doable if he ever settled down in one place.
But that wasn’t possible with Charlie. She was a part of his family now—completely off limits. And even if she was over eighteen—almost nineteen—she was still in high school.
Wait, why was she still in school? Henry had said she had been sick, but Charlie hadn’t mentioned any illness during their conversation. Of course, it could have been a while ago. There was no real reason for her to bring it up. Hell, he never talked about his accident.
But if Charlie was okay, then why was she spending a Friday night at home alone? She’d dressed for bed, too, in what could have easily passed for a vintage hospital gown. It hadn’t even been nine o’clock yet. Had the thing with Sammy upset her that much?
Or what if she’s still sick?
Noah shook his head. He was jumping to conclusions. Even his father wouldn't leave a sick girl home alone for a whole month. And, even if he did, Darla wouldn’t. Right?
He was seized by the compulsion to call the house to check on Charlie, but if he heard her voice he might crumble and go back there. That was the last thing he should do. He had to stay as far away as possible.
But he was worried now. Should he call the housekeeper? Would she even know if Charlie was ill? Charlie certainly looked all right—amazing actually—but what if it was one of those diseases that wasn’t obvious?
Wait. There was someone who would know everything about her.
Terrence Waters did background checks on all the employees who came to work for his father. It was a little known fact that Terrence also did intensive background checks on all of the woman his father became involved with.
The security check was insanely thorough. Terrence left no stone unturned when it came to revealing any skeletons in a woman’s background. There was always a rundown of medical histories. As Darla's ward Charlie would have been scrutinized too. His father demanded as much. For the first time, Noah was grateful for that streak of ruthlessness in his dad.
It took him a while to find the number in his email. Terrence answered on the second ring. He was immediately suspicious about the request.
“Why do you want it?” he asked.
Damn. He should have thought of a plausible excuse for wanting Charlie’s file. In the end, he decided on the truth. Or at least part of it.
“I was at the summer house yesterday with a bunch of the guys. I had no idea Charlie was home. One of the drunken shitheads cornered her in the kitchen and made a pass at her. I think he scared her a little. I stopped him before things got out of hand but she seemed out of sorts afterward. I apologized, but she said she was staying in instead of going out. I was worried she was still upset, but then I remembered what Dad said about her being sick—sick enough to have to repeat her senior year. Is she okay? Cause she’s all alone at the house.”
He held his breath while he waited for an answer.
“The year she missed and had to redo was the seventh grade. She’s in perfect health.”
Noah exhaled silently in relief. “That’s good. I was starting to imagine the worst. I mean who stays in to study on a Friday night?”
Terrence snorted. “Charlie does. Now you tell me something. Which of your moron friends made the pass? Because if it’s that little shit Sammy, I would tell him to steer clear of her, or he’ll have to answer to me.”
Noah stopped to stare at his phone for a second before putting it back to his ear. Terrence was a fixture in their lives, but it was his policy not to get close to his father’s wives or any of their dependents. Apparently he’d made an exception in this case.
“Charlie must be special,” he said before he could stop himself.
Terrence cleared his throat. “Yes, she is.”
Noah nodded stupidly before he realized Terrence couldn’t see him. “Can you send me the dossier on her and her sister? It might help me find a special gift or an idea for an outing—something special to make it up to her.”
The crusty security man paused long enough for him to think his request was going to be denied. “All right,” he finally said. “I’ll email it, but you may as well know now that Charlie’s illness is a cover story. Just keep in mind that your father is happy with his choice.”
What the hell? Why would they need a cover story?
“Okay, I’ll remember that,” he said before thanking him and hanging up.
A few minutes later, the email arrived. It was encrypted, but a separate text of instructions took care of that. He ordered a pot of coffee and some pastries and then settled down to read all of the intimate details of Darla and Charlie Sutton’s lives.
If you liked this story and want more, read Alex’s full length novel
Making Her His
A Singular Obsession Novel, Book 1
An Amazon Erotic Suspense Bestseller for only 99cents!
From the reviews *average 4.5 out of 5 stars* in December 2014
"Beyond amazing! I didn't expect to love this story as much as I did. […] I'm so thrilled that I read this book because it was wonderful and one of my top favorite books I have read this year!”
"Ms. Leroux pens a beautiful story about love that was so gripping than it still runs around in her hear after the story long ended!!”
"Making Her His wasn't what I expected, but was also refreshing and didn't feel like a lot of other books on the market."
"This was a great book, I really enjoyed it. This book is a great love story about a man following his heart and a girl becoming a woman and finally taking her life back”
"I was not sure what to expect with this book when I first read it, however, it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Leroux created a complicated relationship situation but developed it in a beautiful and realistic way. I especially enjoyed the erotic scenes, which were very steamily written! I recommend men buy this book for their women ;)”
Summary
For almost five years, Alex has had one obsession. Her name is Elynn.
Alex Hanas couldn't believe that after so many years as a widower, his father was getting remarried. To make matters worse, the American gold digger had a kid—a daughter named Elynn. After months of avoiding it, Alex goes to brunch with every intention of giving his father's new family the deep freeze. But he can't pull it off with Elynn's anxious green-grey eyes locked on him.
That was the day his life changed.
Four years later, Alex is as close to Elynn as a stepbrother can be. But that's not enough for him. He wants more...and he's done waiting.
Available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QSH22ZA
Barnes and Noble http://goo.gl/oJ2rGA
Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/making-her-his
Or look for it on ITunes !
Coming Attractions
Calen’s Captive
A Singular Obsession, Book Two
Coming Feb 2015!
Calen is a good man from a bad family. He’s worked hard for success, but something’s missing…or rather, someone.
Calen is the son of an Irish mobster, but he’s rejected his legacy and has made a name for himself as a club owner. After years of hard work, he has the life he’s always wanted. Almost.
Then his father asks him to take a meeting with a rival crew. It’s too important to say no. Reluctantly, he drives out to the middle of nowhere to meet them. There to negotiate for reparations, he sees an innocent girl being held against her will—someone who looks very familiar.
Unwilling to leave the girl to a fate worse than death, he demands she be included as part of the deal. Maia is forced to stay with Calen for her safety, but she soon finds out he has ulterior motives for protecting her.
Read the first three chapters at http://goo.gl/6AJhF6
Stolen Angel
A Singular Obsession, Book Three
Coming April 2015!
Sergei Damov is in love with someone who isn’t interested in him, but he’s determined to change that.
Sergei has pined for months, waiting for his assistant to turn around and see he’s the perfect man for her. But Ada only sees him as her boss. Until one night when they both have to work late and the office is deserted…
It doesn’t happen right away, but soon Sergei has Ada right where he wants her—in his bed. Then demons from his past resurface, and he brutally pushes her away before the darkness inside him can consume them both.
But Ada isn’t about to let herself be used. Soon she turns the tables on him and disappears, leaving a mystery in her wake. Why was Ada working under an assumed name? Not just with him, but at every job she ever held?
Using every resource at his disposal, Sergei desperately searches for her, before the danger she’s running from catches up with her…and to try and heal the heart he shattered.
Read the first three chapters at http://goo.gl/cqh0OI
About the Author
Lucy Leroux chose love.
Lucy moved to France for a one-year research contract. Six months later she was living with a handsome Frenchman and six years later is happily married to him…and still in France.
When her last employment contract ended Lucy turned to writing. Frustrated by the lack of quality romance erotica she enjoyed reading she set out to create her own. Her stories feature heroines who are smart, brave, and resourceful. She enjoys writing men who are thoughtful and slightly obsessive alpha males.
Her ‘A Singular Obsession’ series is a combination of romance erotica and suspense that feature intertwining characters in their own stand-alone novels. Three are completed and additional four books are planned. Follow her on twitter @lucythenovelist or http://www.facebook.com/lucythenovelist or visit www.authorlucyleroux.com.
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