WINDY CITY: The complete series

by Stone, Measha

  WINDY CITY

  The complete series

  Measha Stone

  Copyright © 2020 by Measha Stone

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Foreword

  HIDDEN HEART

  SECURED HEART

  INDEBTED HEART

  LIBERATED HEART

  DADDY’S HEART

  Protecting His Pet

  Acknowledgments

  About Measha Stone

  Also by Measha Stone

  Foreword

  Welcome to the Windy City! Having grown up on the outskirts of Chicago, when I sat down to write Hidden Heart, making Chicago the primary setting came naturally. I didn’t set out to write an entire series. I just wanted to tell Jessica’s story. I wanted her to fight against love and lose. Then Royce came along, and he threw me for a loop to be honest.

  At first, I figured Jessica’s leading man would have to ooze Alpha Male, but Royce didn’t have that quality when he introduced himself. Firm, yes. Dominating, of course. But he had a subtlety that worked best for him when he met Jessica. She wouldn’t tolerate an overbearing alpha, I soon realized.

  The series continued to evolve when I realized Kelly needed someone to help reign her in, and then Alex needed to be dealt with, and while I was at it- why not help Erin find her happily ever after. Finally, I thought I was done. The Windy City was complete.

  And then Ryder started knocking on my brain at two in the morning. He had a story to tell me, and he needed Samantha to help him.

  When I try to explain to people that I don’t control the characters, they control me, I’m pretty sure they think I’m slightly off my rocker. But it’s the absolute truth. Ryder wouldn’t leave me alone until I listened to him. And once I started Daddy’s Heart, he and Sammy kept me in line. Should I dare to tell them what to do, they quickly stalled the story and glared me down until I obediently began typing their words again.

  Completing Daddy’s Heart meant the completion of the series. At least, I think so. Who knows what these characters will do; maybe I’ll be woken up in the middle of the night once more with a story that must be written before my sanity comes into question. (HA! Like that hasn’t already happened!)

  I hope you enjoy the characters within these pages, their stories, their troubles, their loves. They no longer belong to me. They are now in your hands.

  Happy Reading!

  Measha

  HIDDEN HEART

  Chapter 1

  True love.

  Jessica Stanley had listened to her friends prattle on and on about love—where to find it and where not to—but she knew the truth about “true love.” It was a myth, spread among generations to encourage the single woman to continue her search for her dream man. She’d called off the hopeless scavenger hunt a year after turning twenty-five.

  Men weren’t what romance novels promised. Not by a longshot.

  This wasn’t to say Jessica didn’t love men. She did. They brought many physical attributes to a relationship, but those could easily be replaced by quality batteries and well-crafted machinery.

  She would stick to Friday nights out with good friends and weekends buried in books.

  Most of her group had beaten her to the restaurant. The hostess pointed Jessica toward the rear corner of the bistro, a table almost hidden from view. She wiggled between chairs and tripped over someone’s coat before managing to get to them.

  “Jessica!” Erin stood and threw her arms around her, White Diamonds perfume wafting with her movement.

  Jessica took a deep breath and grinned.

  “I wasn’t sure you’d make it! Alex said you were working on some big case this week.” Erin took her seat.

  “It’s nearly finished, but I’m not thinking about it tonight.” Jessica shimmied out of her coat and took a seat beside Erin’s fiancé, Jonathan.

  “I hear Alex is bringing a guy from work with him tonight,” Kelly chimed in after a long sip of her appletini, her tone suggesting more than a simple offering of information.

  Jessica rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I think he mentioned something. I haven’t really talked to him this week. Maybe you’ll find your true love.”

  Always on the hunt for the one, Kelly overused the term more than anyone in their group.

  “You aren’t still thinking about staying celibate the rest of your life, are you?” Jonathan asked as he tried waving down a waiter with his empty beer bottle.

  “No. I’m just not wasting time searching for the catch of my life.” Jessica smoothed down her windblown chestnut hair.

  “Look at us.” Erin linked her arm through Jonathan’s and smiled. “We’re happy. You know, it is possible to find a great guy who makes you happy.”

  Jessica rolled her eyes at the sappy sentiment, ignoring the twinge of envy pulling at her heart. Jonathan didn’t comment, continuing his pursuit for an available waiter.

  “Oooh, now that’s a good-looking man.” Kelly straightened her shirt and finger-combed her thick, red curls while keeping her eyes fixed on her prey.

  Jessica followed Kelly’s stare. Alex pushed his way through the tables toward them, a man following behind him. A tall man with undeniably handsome features. A tall, hot man wearing a suit and mirroring a character straight off the set of Mad Men. His hair was too dark to be brown and too light to be black. Whatever the color, it accentuated his blue eyes perfectly.

  Jessica fought the flush creeping up her neck. He was just a guy. An ordinary guy.

  “Sorry we’re late. The damn cab got lost. I had to give him directions. Did you order appetizers yet? I’m starving!” Alex called out over the noise of the restaurant as he plowed through a small crowd of people. Arriving at the table, he shrugged off his coat and hung it over the chair. “Everyone, this is Royce Bradford.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder to the man standing behind him. “Royce, this is everyone. Jessica, Erin, Jonathan, and Kelly. I need to piss. Jess, get me a beer, would ya?” Alex disappeared before anyone could react to the new member of their group.

  “He’s quite a whirlwind, huh?” Royce broke the awkward silence.

  Kelly laughed like a nervous schoolgirl. If she started batting her eyelashes, Jessica would have no choice but to throw water at her.

  “You can sit, you know.” Jessica waved a hand at the empty seat beside Alex’s coat. “He’ll be back in a few minutes and completely monopolize the evening.”

  Royce took his seat with a polite nod and smile. Not an awkward smile; a controlled, casual grin.

  Kelly was close to drooling on her plate.

  “Royce. That’s an uncommon name.” Kelly rested her chin on her fist, staring from across the table.

  “I’m afraid my mother may have read one too many romance novels before I was born. She was a huge fan of historical. Apparently, I was named after one of her favorite characters.” He rewarded her with a grin, showcasing a set of perfectly white teeth.

  Jonathan dropped his empty beer bottle on the table. “Ugh! Forget it. This place is too busy. I’ll never get a beer. Alex always picks the busiest places.”

  “It’s Friday night in Chicago. Every restaurant is too busy,” Jessica pointed out.

  Turning in his chair, Royce raised his hand, and a short blonde waitress walked up to their table, wearing one too many layers of makeup, but endowed with enough cleavage to distract from the error. Jonathan watched in awe, barely able to sputter out his order. Jessica pretended
not to notice the eagerness of the waitress or the way she fawned over Royce. The buttons on her blouse threatened to burst off and injure one of them if she pushed her chest out any farther.

  Alex returned to the table as the drinks arrived. “Jess, I was afraid you wouldn’t make it tonight. You said you’ve been buried all week.” He sipped at his beer. “Jess works at McCannis and Sons. Trying to take down some big corporation for screwing with the employees’ 401(k)s.”

  Royce raised an eyebrow in her direction. His blue eyes darkened. “Not another Enron, I hope.”

  “No, nothing that serious. Just some corrupt bastards messing with balances and withholdings.” Jessica waved a hand in the air. “I’m just a paralegal, not the attorney. Alex makes everything I do sound more important than it is.” Heat spread over her cheeks, and she cursed inwardly. He was just like any other guy, and she didn’t need or want his approval of her job.

  “Oh, please!” Alex rolled his eyes. “You carry that asshole you work for. If it weren’t for you, he’d have lost his partnership and most of his cases last year.”

  Jessica laughed off his praise and squeezed his hand. “The big brother I never had.” She changed the subject by asking Kelly about her day.

  Kelly was a professor at UIC, their alma mater, and loved to talk about her job. Royce made the perfect new audience, so Jessica relaxed in her chair and watched the show.

  Kelly grew more desperate every day to find her soulmate. She wanted a family, the perfect husband, and exactly two children, one boy and one girl. It was her life goal, and achieving it would make her complete. Jessica didn’t understand Kelly’s obsession, but she wouldn’t begrudge her friend anything she wanted. Kelly deserved the fairytale of her dreams, even if Jessica didn’t believe in fairytales anymore.

  Royce listened dutifully, occasionally glancing at Jessica. She tried to ignore his stares, but couldn’t deny he was making her warm under the collar.

  He was very attractive—she couldn’t deny that either. Too attractive. He would be interested in one thing, then he’d leave, or he wouldn’t be interested in her from the start. Either way, he spelled trouble. She tried to focus on Kelly, but having heard the rant a dozen times before, Jessica found it very difficult.

  “What do you do?” Kelly finally turned the conversation over to Royce.

  “Oh, he’s the new VP of marketing.”

  “Alex, he’s a big boy. Let him answer.” Erin reached over the table and playfully slapped Alex’s hand.

  Jonathan watched her, his brow lowered and stare questioning.

  “Well, he’s right. Just moved here from New York.” Royce scanned the menu.

  “You don’t have an accent,” Jessica pointed out with skepticism. She shrugged off Alex’s glare. He was one of her closest friends, so she was able to forgive him for being part of the male cult of society. He had nursed her through several breakups, and never once muttered the words “I told you so,” even if he had, in fact, told her so...more than once.

  “No, I’m originally from here. Well, the northern suburbs,” he explained, his tone relaxed, his eyes locked on hers.

  Jessica tore her gaze from him and looked at Alex. “I thought you were up for that promotion.”

  He shook his head. “No, I’m up for the advertising department.”

  “Isn’t it the same thing?”

  “Yes and no.” Alex shrugged. “Let’s talk about something not work related.” He looked at Jonathan, who brought up a new subject.

  The talk turned casual. Jonathan and Alex made plans for tailgating during football season. Kelly smiled like a starstruck teen at Royce, who continued to be polite while stealing glances at Jessica.

  “Are you in sales or the craft of advertising?” Jessica found herself asking over her latte. The meal was well-past over, and the dessert plate Alex had ordered for the table remained in the center, scarcely touched.

  “I prefer the craft. I went to school originally for writing. Advertising didn’t seem too far off from fiction at the time. However, business being what it is, there isn’t much in the way of craft anymore. Now, it’s all about projections, sales numbers, and profit margins.” He sounded forlorn. She suspected he longed for something left behind in the past—a feeling she understood all too well.

  “So, you started out as a writer and ended up as the VP of marketing. Not too bad, I guess.” The words rolled from her mouth with such sarcasm she chastised herself for not being better at hiding her annoyance for the opposite sex. Alex reminded her relentlessly not all people of the male persuasion were bad, and she’d do better in life not to hate men in general. Hate was a strong word and didn’t accurately express her feelings. Mistrust worked better. She simply didn’t trust men.

  “Royce, how is it you haven’t been snatched up by some beautiful woman? I mean, New York is crawling with them,” Kelly blurted out, and didn’t even have the decency to appear embarrassed.

  “Kelly, not everyone is out searching for their one and only,” Jessica interjected. “I’m sure Royce has enjoyed the company of plenty of women in New York. It doesn’t mean he had to settle down with any of them.” She maintained her composure surprisingly well when Alex kicked her shin with the tip of his booted foot. The corner of Royce’s lips curled.

  “Actually, there was one woman in New York. I only lived there for three years. She and I parted ways a few months back.” Royce focused on Jessica as he answered, then swung a carefree smile toward Kelly.

  “You’ll have to forgive Jessica. She doesn’t believe love exists anymore.” Erin pushed her dessert plate away.

  “Perhaps she hasn’t met the right man,” Royce stated in a flat voice. If she hadn’t given up on reading signals, she would have sworn there was promise in his deep-blue eyes.

  “That’s probably right.” Alex checked his watch. “Well, kids, I gotta run.” He shoved away from the table and whipped his coat on. “Do you want to share a cab, Royce?”

  “No thanks. I don’t live too far from here, maybe five blocks or so. I think I’ll hoof it while the weather holds out.”

  “Fair enough. Jess, I’ll call you in the morning.” Alex leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek before waving to the rest of the group.

  “Did he just stiff us with the bill?” Kelly watched him leave.

  “No.” Jessica laughed. “He’d never do that. He’s going to stop at the front and pay the whole damn tab.” She reached behind her and slid her arms into the sleeves of her coat. “Tell me you’ve never noticed him do that.”

  Alex earned more money than all of them combined. A fact, he found embarrassing and hated talking about it.

  “I don’t know, guess I never paid attention.”

  Jessica felt Royce watching her with fascination as she stood from the table, the coat conforming to her body perfectly.

  “What?” She checked the floor around her. Had she had dropped or torn something?

  “Nothing.” He shook his head, one corner of his mouth turned up in a grin. A little crease formed on the side of his lips. Damn, she liked that. The little wrinkle was one trademark of a sexy as hell smile.

  “I’m going to head out. I’ll see you guys next Friday. Kelly, your pick, don’t forget. And please, nowhere crazy. I’m still surprised we didn’t all die from the hole in the wall you took us to last time.” Better to make a quick getaway before he did anything else to make her want to forget her pledge of single womanhood and jump in his lap.

  “Hey, that Indian place was great.” Kelly pouted.

  “Right. I’ll see you later.” Jessica waved to the group, then stepped to the side to allow Royce more room as he stood.

  “It was very nice meeting everyone.” Royce nodded to the group, then turned to Jessica. “May I walk you to the door?”

  She shrugged. No point getting her hopes up. “Sure. We’re both headed that way anyway.” She ignored Kelly’s scowl. She would call her later and beg for forgiveness. The last thing she wante
d was to take away her friend’s hope, but Royce wasn’t the one. Kelly would have to keep hunting.

  Jessica only noticed his presence when he reached in front of her to move a chair from blocking her way. She mumbled a thank you and started toward the door. Before she could open it, he reached past her and pushed the door open, letting in the sharp, cool air.

  “Need a cab?” He raised his hand slightly, and she had no doubt several cabs would pull over the instant he did so. He had an air of authority about him, as though anything he commanded would simply happen. She’d met very few men who held themselves with such confidence.

  “I walked. I’m only a few blocks away,” she stated as she buttoned her coat, holding her purse tightly between her arm and body.

  “Which way?” he asked, dropping his hand.

  “That way.” She pointed north and was rewarded with another grin displaying a small dimple on his right cheek. Dimples ranked right up there with the crease.

  “Me too. Is it okay if I join you?” He slid his hands into his pockets.

  She swallowed. “Sure. Why not.” A walk was harmless.

  They walked in silence for the first block. Neither seemed to know what to say or how to begin a conversation. Jessica felt his eyes on her, but continued to look straight ahead. It had been a while since she spent this much time alone with a man—who wasn’t Alex.

  Royce broke the silence by inquiring about her work. He gave her his full attention, asking questions when he didn’t understand something she said. He didn’t just nod and daydream like most men she’d dated. He was tasteful, she’d give him that.

  She’d begun to relax by the time they made their way to her block. She kept her focus on him as he told her about his new position. He hadn’t been seeking an executive job when he’d applied with Alex’s company, but he seemed cautiously optimistic about the new job.