by T. C. Clark
Surprisingly, Ben had started to recover. He was now at a premiere facility that specifically rehabbed wounds like his. They’d heard he’d suffered some memory loss, but at least he was alive. The same couldn’t be said for Josh Boehm. During his transport from the hospital to the prison his car had been hit by an untraceable SUV and a masked person had calmly climbed inside and shot him in the head. Whoever it was had left everyone else alive.
“So, you guys will be back in a couple of weeks?” Leslie asked as they gathered their things. They were going to take the company plane back to Chicago. Tara was rebuilding her practice, this time with her friend Nisha as a partner and Alex had a lot of work to do back at the law firm.
“We promise we will be back. You know I can’t live without you for too long,” Alex said giving her a hug.
“Just try to enjoy it Leslie. I’ve already added all the seasons of the Housewives of Chicago to the DVR,” Tara said with a wink.
“And that’s why I love you,” Leslie smiled as she waved them goodbye.
As they drove away, Tara looked back at the elegant cabin with a frown on her perfectly made face.
“Do you think we should have told her who was in the other cabin?” she asked worriedly.
“No, he deserves a chance and right now Leslie wants nothing to do with him. We’ve given him two weeks if he can’t win her over then it’s his loss,” Alex said, smiling as she moved closer to him. She leaned forward and kissed him. She kept it classy, pulling back before he could grab her.
“This is their chance to have what we have. I’m not just doing it for him. Leslie has had a thing for Maks for a while. They deserve a chance at this kind of happiness.”
“And are you happy, Alex?”
“When we get on the plane I’ll show you how much,” he said grabbing her and kissing her with enough force to make her head spin. When they pulled apart she fanned herself and he laughed.
This was it. He’d lived his life following a specific path, unaware of what he was missing. For some reason he’d been given this beautiful woman to love and protect, and he would do so for the rest of his life. The Greek had finally found his home.
Special note from author: If you liked this book please, please, please leave a review. It helps me out so much. Know that I appreciate each and every one of you and I hope you enjoyed this novella. Up next is Maks and Leslie’s dark story. Can Mak’s win back a woman he never knew he had? Release Date: 02/28/2019 :)
Five
Sneak peek at: Maks: The Mountain Man's Crush
How long did one need to recover from a traumatic event? At what point where you officially allowed to move on? Leslie Parker contemplated these questions as she reworked her outline for her romance novel. She’d been forced her into this brief vacation by her boss and his new girlfriend.
To be fair, she’d been shot while trying to protect his beautiful companion from a serial killer. That was probably why they were so insistent on her having time to recoup. She sighed as she retyped the latest sentence for the tenth time. She would have words with Ursula when she got home.
Her next-door neighbor had encouraged her to write a book and in the process, she’d told her that doing so wasn’t that hard. That was a bald-faced lie if she’d ever heard one. She’d chosen romance because she was a voracious reader herself. But it was difficult personally she’d never been good at romance. She wasn’t a virgin, but she wasn’t dating either. She was right in the beginning stages of being what her brother called, a spinster.
She hated that word, SPINSTER. It made the value of a woman completely depended on her relationship with a man. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t tried to date. She had, sort of. She was quick to bolt, some would say she was too sensitive, too awkward, and they weren’t wrong. She was sure if she saw a therapist, they would tie the cause back to daddy issues or something like that.
But she wasn’t here to reflect on her personal life or lack thereof, she was here to create a fictional one. One with a sexy man who wanted a heroine with flaws. A man who was tall, strong and handsome. Who could be compassionate and an alpha male at the same time. Pretty much one that didn’t exist.
She closed her laptop and walked into the kitchen to start another round of French pressed coffee. She smiled as she took in her luxurious surroundings. She couldn’t really be angry while staying in a place like. Currently, she was nestled on a mountainside in northern Colorado. It would be perfect if it wasn’t owned by her nemesis. A nemesis who didn’t even know how he’d gotten the name.
He didn’t even remember that the degree in which he’d hurt her. She had an excellent memory that never let her rest especially when it came to replaying the worst events in her life. They could make a comedy show on the adventures she’d been on in her short life.
She’d decided a few months ago that it was time for a life reboot. She’d let herself go. She was woman enough to admit that. She’d joined the gym, started back going to church, and even tried to complete one of the goals on her bucket list—write a book.
She still needed to complete the makeover with a new wardrobe. Contrary to popular belief she knew she had zero style. She’d never had any. She’d been lucky when she was younger her mother had taken care of that for her. As an adult, she struggled with finding things that looked good on her. She knew when she got back to the city she would ask Tara about it. Clearly, she knew what looked good. Tara had personally picked out all the clothing she had on this trip and looking in the mirror she had to admit the woman had great taste.
Today she’d chosen a black soft knit oversized sweater and caramel leggings the combination made her look elegant and feminine at the same time. When they’d arrived at her apartment, a few days ago to bombard her into going on this trip, they’d only given her a few minutes to find something to wear and grab her essentials.
She’d been swept up and delivered to this beautiful cabin in such a whirlwind she’d barely had time to catch her breath before they disappeared. She shook her head. She needed to enjoy this time. This was her opportunity to do something for herself. So she needed to stop complaining and appreciate where she was.
* * *
Maks stood outside her door. He was trying to figure out what to say to her after he knocked. For some reason, Leslie didn’t like him. He didn’t know why and to be honest he’d never experienced it before. He’d been lucky when it came to women. He’d never had to try they just came to him. People thought he was a player because of it, but he knew better. He was searching for that elusive thing that his brothers had found.
The first few times he’d met Leslie he hadn’t noticed her. She was quiet and often cold whenever he came upon her. But a few months ago he’d stopped by his brother’s office unannounced and found her consoling a janitor who’d lost his wife. She had been so kind…so sincere, that something had clicked in his brain. He didn’t know what was driving him now.
He knew he wanted her, his body reminded him of that every time they got close. Everyone kept warning him to stay away from her, but for some reason he couldn’t. He’d made plans to pursue her before all hell broke loose with his brother. A few weeks ago when she was shot, he’d held her limp body in his arms, and decided if she survived he wouldn’t let her walk away again. He would figure out what was going on behind those mysterious brown eyes. He needed to know more about her. He took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock….
