Pistol Whipped (Love on Target Book 3)

by Ashley Bostock

  The Justice of the Peace began, and the room got quiet.

  The ceremony was over rather quickly, and Logan scooped up his bride and kissed her. He wanted to be alone with her. Right now, and for…well, ever. She was his, all his and there wasn’t a happier man on this planet. His kisses were rough, biting and sucking and he didn’t care. He wanted her badly.

  “Down boy,” Gabbie breathed into his mouth. Her face was flushed, her lips glistening and pink where he’d just devoured her. Even with the clapping, he’d forgotten their audience in the room.

  “Not a chance, Mrs. Reeves. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  “Gladly, Mr. Reeves. Bye everyone, Logan and I have some things to do.”

  “Wait, wait. I need a few more pictures.” Logan’s mom stood up. “Everyone stand next to your date so I can take some.”

  Everyone scrambled and once again, Brandi and Blaze were stuck with each other due to lack of having anyone else.

  “Smile.” She snapped a few photos with her phone and once she was satisfied, the group broke up. Logan handed Brandi Gabbie’s bouquet of flowers. “Take these, please. We gotta go. See you later, mom.”

  “Thanks everyone. Love you guys.”

  Logan sped to her condo and like a true groom, carried her over the threshold.

  “I couldn’t keep my eyes off you. I’ve been hard the second you walked into the courthouse. You have to get out of this dress.”

  He carried her directly to her bed, letting her fall onto the mattress. He yanked his coat off, loosened his tie and pulled it over his head.

  “Stop.”

  Not a chance.

  He cocked his head to the side and stopped with his fingertips on the buttons of his black shirt.

  “Let me, please,” she said.

  He moved his hands and Gabriella unbuttoned his shirt, slowly one by one when all he wanted to do was yank the damn thing off. She smoothed her hands down his chest to the waistband of his pants.

  “No way.” He grabbed her wrists and pushed them away. “Out of the dress,” he demanded. “Now.”

  He pulled her up, steadying her as she stood on the bed. She turned and waited for him to figure out the hidden zipper. He slid it down her back past her dimples. She shimmied out of the sleeves and let the dress fall. Her white panties sparkled with…something. He didn’t know what, but they sparkled like they were made of diamonds...glitter, maybe? Logan’s heart hurt. Something he’d never felt before squeezed his heart and made it difficult for him to breath. He tried speaking and nothing would come out.

  He cleared his throat and tried again. “I’ve never seen anyone more gorgeous than you, Gabriella.” His voice was crackly, and he couldn’t think of anything else to say—her pure beauty rendered him speechless. His heart was full of love. Admiration. Respect. He was blessed that he found the love of his life in his best friend.

  He gently kissed her back, not missing her small dimples, and helped her down onto the bed.

  “I want to do this.” She slipped her fingers into the waistband of his pants and helped him unbuckle and unzip.

  He slid her panties off. She slid his boxers off him.

  He pushed her backward onto the bed, hovering over her, finally managing to produce a coherent thought. “I will look forward to this every single day for the rest of my life, Mrs. Reeves.”

  She gripped his erection and guided him into her. “And I too, will do the same, Mr. Reeves. But could we do less talking and more of this?”

  Hot as Hell and twice as bad…

  At least that’s the first impression nanny Brandi Parker gets about the new bodyguard hired by the family to ‘oversee’ her and the children’s protection. She loves her job but living day and night —God, especially the nights — in close quarters with a sex on a stick know-it-all is wearing thin on her nerves. She can handle four little kids with running noses, screaming tantrums and broken toys, but she did not sign up for constant sexual arousal from some arrogant, tattooed hard-ass.

  Some like ‘em hot. Red hot…

  But not Blaze Bryant. Particularly the flaming hot red-head testing his patience. He’d given up women a long time ago after one mistake proved he wasn’t worthy of anyone’s love. Or trust. So the last thing he needs is this aching attraction to Brandi. No, he knows this is just another job and as soon as he finishes, he’s gone. He’ll never see her again. So why does that thought gnaw at his gut?

  Lust filled days and heated nights…

  As the nights drag on, Brandi and Blaze can’t fight the passion sparking between them. But when doubts arise and secrets surface is passion enough to hold them together? Or will they be forever separated by a scheme even bigger than Blaze realized, a mistake that might cost Brandi her life.

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  Irresistible Billionaires

  Are you ready to dive into a new series?

  Five Billionaires who enjoy their bachelor status.

  Five women who bring them to their knees.

  Read on for a peek at Nothing But Trouble.

  Chapter One

  Michael Vilander needed a date. As the founder and CEO of Together.com, the largest and most successful matchmaking website in the world, it should not be this difficult. He blew out a sigh of frustration.

  Tonight everything was against him. He had employee issues to deal with, starting with firing a project manager for posting nude photos of himself at a bonfire, wasted, of course. Michael tried not to worry about what employees did on their own time, but posting it on Together was a direct violation of the website’s terms as well as breaking company policy. Next would be addressing the newly hired intern who wasn’t happy with her office view on the tenth floor. An intern.

  He created Together when he was twenty-two, young and dumb by American standards. It sprouted as an idea when his friend couldn’t find a date to his uncle’s wedding. All it took was a discussion at the bar and poof, his website had gone from ten users to over nine million in less than a year. Today, Together was a host to over a billion users – with over seventy percent using the app only. There were thousands of happily married people out there, thanks to him and his team.

  But he wasn’t one of them.

  Michael enjoyed his bachelor status as much as he enjoyed fine scotch. At thirty-three years old, he knew what he didn’t want and what he did.

  Fun. Freedom. Sex.

  He’d never had problems with finding women—between the size of his bank account and the size of his dick, his dates always left with a smile on their faces. He could have any woman he wanted and there was no way in hell he was going to tie himself down to just one.

  He wasn’t looking for long-term. Not again. Having been burned by the one woman he had wanted to have a family with, the one woman he had ever loved, he was old enough to know better. He didn’t want a relationship. Ever.

  Besides, what woman would put up with his eighty-hour work week? Work would always come first, which was why he was successful.

  All he needed right now was a date. And he couldn’t believe how difficult it was to drum someone up. Why weren’t there ever women at his church he could pick up for casual, no sex, fill-in dates? Nice, normal women that could be considered friends?

  The Denver Art Foundation held their annual gala on Valentine’s Day. Each year, they invited Michael because he was one of their biggest donors and because his company headquarters was located next to their administrative offices. His parents had served on the board of the Foundation, in one way or another, for as long as he could remember.

  The previous years’ funding provided major improvements to the Art Center where all the workshops and classes were held. The building was not fully functional yet, but his continued support, along with others, still provided art classes for children and adults as well as supplies, et cetera. Low income children benefited immensely from the donations, not only for the improvements on their skill, but because it offered a safe haven of sorts by keeping them
off the streets and otherwise engaged in something productive. The Center had been open for three years now, and it was gaining more and more prestige every day.

  This was Michael’s largest charitable donation each year and they expected him to be there.

  As a regular donor, he should have the gala noted on his calendar, and know that every year on Valentine’s Day, he was going to need a date for the charitable event. He picked up the landline phone on his desk and rang Regina, his secretary.

  “Yes, Mr. Vilander?”

  Michael smiled. “You don’t have to call me that. I know you mean well, but it still sounds weird coming from you.”

  “I know, sir. But this is a place of business—”

  “And we must have formalities. I got it.” He cut her off. When he had offered to hire his grandmother, she had agreed only on the condition of professionalism—down to her calling him Mr. Vilander and he calling her Regina. It didn’t make it any less weird, still. He let it go. “Have you found anyone for me yet?” Entrusting his grandmother to find him a date was risky to say the least. Who knew what she might find? There were two reasons he was willing to allow her to help him: the gala was in two days and the candidate she had found for him last year had worked well. His date had been a bit talkative, but nothing he couldn’t handle for four hours. Tonight would be the same thing: dinner, the awards ceremony and then it would be over. Unless their attraction was off the charts, well, then four hours could easily turn into eight.

  “No, sir. I called Maryanne, but she’s engaged now.”

  “Who’s Maryanne?”

  “The young lady you took to the event last year,” she said. She left out the word duh, but Michael could hear the duh tone in her voice.

  Maryanne. “Oh. Right. Who else is there?” Michael thrummed his fingertips on his sleek marble desktop, trying to come up with a plan. He could attend alone but that wouldn’t do. He was one of Denver’s most sought after bachelors. He owned one of the top ten websites in the world. He was right behind Facebook, for fuck’s sake! It was all about appearances, and he had to appear like he actually dated. Like he actually went out. Like he actually had a social life that went beyond work and his group of guy friends.

  “Mr. Vilander, why can’t you—”

  “No, Regina. I’m not going alone. We’ve been through this. Maybe I should fire you for not having a date lined up for me already. You knew this was coming,” he teased her affectionately.

  Regina snorted. “You can’t fire me. I’d sue you for wrongful termination.”

  “Right, I don’t doubt you would. It’s easier for me to keep you on as an employee. Especially because you make a wonderful secretary. But this bickering doesn’t solve my problem. I still need a date.”

  “Why don’t you go online and fill out one of your own questionnaires? You know that little comment box you have at the end? You could specify that you only need a date for one night.”

  Intrigued at the thought, he leaned back in his chair. Raking his hand through his chestnut locks, he caught his reflection in the windows. The lights from down below blinked and brightened. He could hear sirens in the distance, and he had the most outrageous thought he’d ever had in his entire life. Why couldn’t he do what she’d suggested? He could do what countless men and women did all the time.

  “Regina, I might have a plan.”

  He hung up quickly, knowing full well she was going to want to know what he was thinking and knowing her, she’d burst through his door without knocking. He glanced at his Breitling, four, three, two… and on cue, she burst though the double black doors leading into his office.

  “I really need a new secretary.”

  “You need me. What’s your plan, Michael?”

  “What happened to professionalism, Regina?” He threw her own words back at her.

  “Professionalism calls for a time and a place. Right now, it’s not the time. You need your grandmother.”

  Michael smiled as she pulled a chair up on the other side of his desk. Her hair had gone much grayer over the years, but she was still the same nosey woman he’d known and loved for forever. If it had to do with him, Regina was all over it. As she should be. She was a hard worker, and he couldn’t find a more loyal employee if he tried.

  “You should really consider retiring. Honestly,” he teased.

  “Tell me your plan.”

  He rubbed the bridge of his nose debating what he wanted to tell her. He feared if even one person knew of his plan, the greater the chance of him getting caught. But she was also his grandmother. He sighed. “My plan is to create a profile just like you said. But I would look like the biggest loser in Colorado if everyone knew it was me.”

  “So you’re going to fake it?” She squealed with more excitement than he’d heard from her since he took her to a Justin Bieber concert, and he couldn’t hide the grin on his face. She was already getting much more excited about this ludicrous plan than was necessary.

  “Indeed. Will you help me find a picture? With the thirty-day grace period, it won’t charge my PayPal account, so I should be in the clear for that.”

  “Are you going for a smart and handsome look, or something more hippy and offbeat? Long hair seems to be the trend these days. Or those dreaded beards!”

  He laughed. “I haven’t thought that far, Regina. Rest assured though, long hair and beards are out for me. I’m more of the clean-cut kind of guy, even when faking it. Let me think about it, and I will let you know tomorrow. We can figure it out then. You should head home; you had a busy day today. And it’s after five already.”

  “Think about it. I can get some stock images we can use. Maybe Eddie in IT can help us.”

  “No!” He about came out of his chair. “Absolutely not, Regina. If I do this. No one can know about it. Only us.”

  “Fine,” she huffed. “Let me know what you decide.”

  As she ambled around his desk, it wasn’t lost on him how tired she looked. She kissed his cheek and affectionately patted his shoulder. Her smell comforted him in a way only a grandmother’s could.

  “See you tomorrow, Dear.”

  “Good night, Grandma. Don’t stay up too late.”

  “Don’t work too late, Michael. This is part of your problem, too, you know? If you didn’t insist on working all the time, you might have time to meet someone.”

  “Good night,” he said, disregarding the tiny pull he felt at the truth of her words.

  Alone once again, he kicked his feet up on to his desk and considered his options. Posting a photo of himself was out of the question. People would latch onto it immediately and the media would get wind of it. Someone would then call to confirm whether it was in fact, Michael Vilander. He’d have to make a statement; it would be never-ending. The only way to do this would be to create a fake profile, find a picture to use and see what happened.

  His press secretary would have his ass if she knew he was even thinking of doing something like this. Julia Owens was not a woman one wanted to mess with. Going behind her back and creating a potential PR nightmare was certifiable, ass-kicking, craziness. She’d probably quit. For real. She’d threatened him a few times in the past, and Michael had been able to talk her off her high horse, but this might take the cake.

  Crap. Was he this desperate?

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  Also by Ashley Bostock

  Snowflake, Baby

  A single dad romance with all the Christmas feels

  Available October 20, 2020

  Irresistible Billionaires

  Nothing But Trouble

  All Sh
ook Up

  The Snow Ball - a novella

  Work For It

  The Valentine’s Day Wedding - a novella

  Love By Design

  Francesca’s Gala - a novella

  Playing For Keeps

  Love in Lone Star

  Wet

  Wild

  Wicked

  Love on Target

  Gun Shy

  Trigger Happy

  Pistol Whipped

  Packin’ Heat

  Standalones

  All I Want For Christmas

  One Summer Night

  About the Author

  Ashley Bostock was born and raised in Colorado where she currently resides with her husband, two children and her animals. She loves reading, writing, and music and is always trying to find more time in the day to incorporate all three.

  Seeking an outlet and pursuing her life-long passion for writing, she began composing her first novel in 2013. She has traveled all over the world, but still has an extensive list of places she would love to visit. Anywhere near a sky-blue ocean will always be at the top of that list.

  She carries a Bachelor’s Degree in History with a concentration in Elementary Education from Metropolitan State College of Denver. While she loves children, she now fears teaching, which probably has something to do with being a stay-at-home mom.