by T. S. Ryder
Hayden went to Kaelyn’s side and put his arm around her.“How are you?”
She nodded and took a sip of her water.“Okay.”
“Are we almost done?”he asked the medic taking her blood pressure.
“Just about.”The medic checked her reflexes and handed her some pain relievers.
When everything with the cops and the medics was finally done, they walked together out to their cars. They exchanged hugs with Katherine, Stella and Bella. Then, he was finally alone with Kaelyn. He took her into his arms and held her for a long moment.
“I was terrified thinking he’d kill you or do something awful to you,”Hayden said.“Well, more awful than what he did.”
Her face was buried in his shoulder and she cried softly.“I’m so glad you came. Thank you.”
He brushed her hair back, squeezing his arms tighter around her.“I don’t know what I would have done if he’d hurt you worse. You’ve only been living with me a short time, but I can’t imagine life without you.”He pulled back to look her in the eye.“Kaelyn, I’m in love with you.”
“You are?”her voice was small and surprised. She started to cry harder and squeezed her arms around his neck. She whispered in his ear,“I love you, too. Can we go home now?”
Chapter Nine
After such a horrible day, and with the drive home being long, Kaelyn fell asleep in the car, leaning against the door. She felt the car stop and heard the garage door. She was just waking up as Hayden opened her door and scooped her into his arms. She rested her head against his chest as he carried her upstairs and into her room.
He lay her gently on the bed and bent down to kiss her before standing back up.
“Hayden?”she said softly.
“Yes?”
“Will you stay with me? I don’t want to be alone right now.”
He slid into the bed behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle and making her feel safer than she’d felt in days.
She turned over so that she was facing him. They stared at each other for a long while, then she leaned forward and kissed him. There was nothing more she wanted in that moment than to be as close to him as possible, to have him touch her in every way possible.
He kissed her back passionately and she slid her legs between his. He put his hand on her hip and caressed her waist and thigh. She pressed her body against his, murmuring into his ear.
“I want you,”she said.
“Are you sure?”he asked, tracing his fingertips along her jaw and chin.“It’s been such a hard day.”
“I have wanted you for a long time, Hayden. I had a crush on you in high school, you know.”
“You did?”He pulled half his mouth into a smile.“I love that I knew you before. I never have to worry that you’re not into the real me.”
“I love the real you.”
“I know you do. And I love you for it.”
He pressed his mouth to hers again and this time, their kissing intensified. Her body felt hot all over and every time he touched her, a wave of pleasure ran through her.
She tugged on his shirt, pulling it awkwardly over his head. He pulled hers off and reached back to unhook her bra. When her breasts were free, he caressed them, squeezing and pinching her nipples. He leaned down to suck on her nipple. She let out a moan and ran her fingers through his hair.
She wiggled out of her pants and waited for him to do the same, then he pulled her on top of him. She hadn’t thought much about it, and maybe he hadn’t either, but being on top felt freeing. Earlier, when she’d been tied up by Will, she had been lying there helpless while he climbed over her. He hadn’t done more than look at her and squeeze her breasts roughly, but still. He’d been on top of her. He would have done much more if Hayden hadn’t come in to save her. But, had Hayden climbed over her, it might have upset her without him meaning to.
She smiled at how he seemed to instinctively know what she needed. She pressed her hips down, rubbing herself against his hard erection. Her panties dampened as he continued to kiss her and rub his hands all over her.
He slipped his hand under her panties, then slid his finger inside her. She moaned and moved up and down against his hand. She could feel her wetness getting all over him.
He slid his finger out, leaving her wanting more, and pushed her panties down. He took off his boxers and now she could rub against his bare cock. After just a few slides of her clit against him, she had to have him inside her.
He growled into her ear, then took hold of his dick and positioned himself at her opening. He found his way in and she sat up, pushing him fully inside her. She paused a moment as they both let out a moan.
He grabbed her hips and moved her up and down on his cock as she bounced on him, slamming in deep again and again. With each thrust, she grew closer to orgasm. She tried to put it off, to draw it out as long possible, but he felt too good.
She let out a loud moan as she came. He growled and sped up his thrusts. His face twisted and he groaned as he orgasmed. She lay down beside him and he pulled her into his arms.
She snuggled into him, hot and sweaty, and quickly fell into a peaceful sleep.
Chapter Ten
Kaelyn woke to Hayden’s arms around her. Her mouth stretched into a wide smile and she made a soft moaning sound as she pressed back into him.
He stirred and squeezed her harder.“This is the best feeling in the world,”he said.
“I was just thinking the same thing.”
She turned in his arms to face him and kiss him.
“I was thinking,”he said, rubbing his nose against hers.“Maybe you shouldn’t bother getting your own place. I love having you here, and it makes things much more convenient for, umm, our late night activities.”
“Really? You want me to move in with you?”
“Technically, you’re already moved in.”
“True.”
“But yes, I want you to live here with me. I want you to be mine.”
She kissed his lips, then his nose, then his forehead.“And I want to be yours.”
“I can keep you safe and away from stalkers and creepers.”
“You’ve done a good job of that so far. When you knocked the door down, you don’t know what that did to me. I was overcome with relief. It was like the second I knew you were there, nothing could ever be wrong again.”
He trailed his fingers along her arm.“There is something I should tell you about that. Didn’t you wonder how I knew where you were?”
She pulled her eyebrows together.“Hmm. I guess I didn’t think about it. I was just so happy to see you. But now that you mention it, how did you know?”
“I installed a tracking app on your phone. I did after Will showed up and I was worried he would do something. I only used it when you went missing, though. I wouldn’t invade your privacy or anything.”
“Oh.”She thought about this for a moment.“Well, it would have been nice if you told me, but it did save my life, so I can’t be too mad.”
“The only reason I didn’t tell you sooner was because I didn’t want you to feel watched. I knew I wouldn’t use it unless there was an emergency. We can take it off now.”
“No. I feel better if you can see where I am, actually. It’s not like I have anything to hide, and if I know, then it’s not like you’re invading my privacy.”
“You sure?”he asked.
“Yes. And we’ll do the same for your phone so I don’t worry that something happened to you.”
“Fair enough.”
“What do you think will happen to Will?”she asked.
“There’ll be a trial. I’m sure we’ll have to testify and all that. Kidnapping is pretty serious. They’ll probably nail him with sexual assault, too. I’d guess he’ll get a few years at least.”
“Oh, good.”She let out a long breath.“I don’t want to have to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life.”
“You won’t. I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect you and make sure you
feel safe. If I need to hire you a bodyguard, I will.”
“I hope that’s not necessary.”
“Well.”He sighed.“You do know that once the media finds out about us, there will be lots of photos and that sort of thing, right?”
“I figured. It’ll be okay. As long as we’re together, we’ll figure it out, right?”
“Right.”He tightened his arms and kissed her.“I’m so glad you’re finally mine.”
*****
THE END
The Shifting Boss's Baby
Description
A curvy secretary in search of a fresh start PLUS her sexy possessive boss looking for a mate PLUS a sinister stalker and a dangerous attack!
After putting her life on pause to take care of her ill mother, curvy 20-something Christine Morrow is finally ready to give her life a fresh, new start. She has landed a job working for the sexy billionaire business tycoon, Ethan Blackwood and his evil personal assistant, Nancy.
She has heard many things about her mysterious boss. But she could care less about how sexy he is, until she lays eyes on him. His dark and dangerous edge is a warning that she should stay away, but she can’t help but feel attracted to him.
Ethan Blackwood has lost his zest for life. Years of running his company and secretly leading his wolf pack have worn him out. He no longer feels alive. But then he sees a red-haired, voluptuous woman who ignites new life in him. He should stay away from her because he will bring her nothing but trouble. But discovering that she is his true mate, there is no way he can let her go. Everything about her calls to him.
The attraction between Christine and Ethan is undeniable. But then a sinister stalker attacks and Ethan is faced with a difficult choice.
Can he tell her his dark secret? Will she be able to accept what he really is? And can they find out who the stalker is? Find out now in this steamy billionaire romance!
Chapter One
Christine Morrow was ecstatic. She stared at the phone in her hands for a few seconds with a broad grin on her face. Thank God, I got it. There was no doubt that she was in desperate need of the job that had just fallen into her lap. Looking upward she heaved a sigh. She could breathe easier now that she had a sure way of paying her half of the rent.
“By the look on your face, I assume you got some good news?”
She spun around to see her roommate and best friend, Keira, eying her expectantly. “I just got a job,” Christine stated, more than pleased.
“Well alright, congratulations are in order. We’ll celebrate tonight.”
Christine’s heart dropped. “Uh, I would rather not.”
Keira folded her arms. “Why not? Now that you have a job, this might be our last night to really get turned up.”
“Keira, I have no desire to get turned up, as you put it. And this will most certainly not be our last night to hang out. All I did was get a job. I’m not moving to the other side of the world.”
With a sigh, Keira held up both hands. “Fine, I’ll leave you to think about it. Boredom might just kick in and you’ll change your mind.”
“I doubt it.”
Christine watched Keira turn away and smiled. It was Keira’s life mission to force her to enjoy her twenties, as she always said. According to Keira, without her, Christine would slip into a life of uneventful nothingness. She’s probably right, Christine mused. She was definitely the type to stay holed up at home and let life pass her by. She had no desire to go out and socialize. Why would she? Society had never treated her with kindness, so she wasn’t eager to go out into the world and mingle.
Besides, she was tired. She had spent the last few weeks job hunting day and night, pounding the pavement early every morning. Now, she would use the weekend to rest up for her big day on Monday morning. She clapped her hands and let out a gleeful shriek. She had given up her previous job and her entire life to take care of her mother for three long months. Now that she had her life back, she had to start from scratch. She had blown through all of her meager savings and had just a few pieces of furniture in the apartment to her name.
A sliver of sadness passed through her at the thought of her mother. She was gone now. They never had the best relationship -- in fact, they had a very unconventional and toxic relationship, with Christine on the receiving end of a lot of hate. But, she liked to believe that she had grown accustomed to her mother's awful treatment of her since she had dealt with it since she was a child. Who am I kidding? It never got any easier.
She frowned. So what if she was a bit chunky as a kid and she was still on the curvy side now? Her mother had no right to rip her self-esteem to shreds every moment she got. Christine sighed and got up from her seat on the couch. Now was not the time to relive the past and wallow in self-pity. She had every reason to be happy. At twenty-four years old, she was about to get her life started once again.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come, Chrissy?” Keira stood in the doorway of Christine’s bedroom, dressed to the nines for a night at the club.
Christine let out a low whistle, taking in her friend’s edgy blond cut and tall slender figure. “You look hot.”
Keira did a turn and batted her eyelashes, “Thank you, thank you, I try.”
“Please, you don’t have to try hard. And yeah, I’m sure I don’t want to join. I’m good.”
Keira sighed, “Pretty please, Chrissy. You can’t let me hang solo tonight.”
Christine’s brows furrowed, “Solo? What happened to Nick?”
“He called thirty minutes ago to let me know he couldn’t make it. Something about being held up at his parents’ house. I don’t want to waste a good Friday night so I decided to go out anyway.” She widened her eyes and batted her lashes. “I thought you might want to come along and keep your home girl company.”
Christine groaned but she pondered the possibility. “Well… alright. I guess I could come along. I don’t like the idea of you out alone tonight.” She let out a breath. “Give me thirty minutes.”
“Yes!”
She watched Keira do her happy dance with amusement.
Half an hour later, Christine stepped into the living room. “Okay, let’s go.”
“Not so fast.”
“What?” Christine asked, confused.
“That huge t-shirt hiding your hot body has got to go.”
A long groan escaped Christine’s lips. “Can we not do this?”
“We’re going clubbing, not to play bridge with the golden girls. Now, get rid of it. Don’t make me come over there and help you.”
Christine growled, irritated. She grasped the end of the shirt and pulled it over her head, mumbling, “This is what I get for doing you a favor.”
Keira stepped closer and gave her a once over. With her finger on her chin, she murmured, “Hmm, tight jeans-check, tight tank top-check, major cleavage-check. What’s missing?” She reached for Christine’s top and hiked it up an inch, revealing a sliver of skin. She then released the high ponytail and ruffled her fingers through Christine’s long auburn locks. “There, now you’re ready to party.”
Pulling self-consciously at her top, Christine frowned. “I feel overly exposed.”
“You look hot. God, if I had your hour glass figure, I would flaunt it non-stop. I so hate you,” she added playfully. “Let’s go.”
With an uncertain glance down at her ample bosom, Christine grabbed her cell and purse and followed Keira to the door. She’d been working on her body image issues for years. Now that her mother was no longer in the picture to disrupt every progress she made, perhaps her self-esteem would rise.
***
The music pounded and a sea of clubbers gyrated on the dance floor. Christine sat at the bar and glanced around uncomfortably. This is not my scene, she mused, sipping her cocktail. Her lips lifted as she watched Keira on the dance floor, moving energetically. She caught Christine’s gaze and motioned for her to come over.
Christine grimaced and shook her head. There was no way she
was getting on that dance floor. Keira glared and started taking steps toward the bar.
“Oh no,” Christine whispered.
“Chrissy, come on. You have been sitting in that same spot for an hour. This is a club for goodness sake, get up and shake it.”
“I’m not good at shaking anything nor do I have any desire to.”
Keira grasped her hand and pulled her off the stool. “Just pretend that it’s only you and me in our apartment jamming.”
Christine dragged her feet, reluctantly following. She wouldn’t let Keira force her into anything, but she followed because deep down she wanted to dance. She wanted to break out of her timid, insecure shell. Keira was just giving her the shove she needed.
Standing in the middle of the crowd, she nibbled her lower lip and began to mimic Keira’s movements. She flushed, knowing that she wasn’t the best dancer. Realizing that no one was paying her any mind, her confidence mounted and she began to move with more vigor. A smile spread across her face. This is nice. She let herself go as she dipped and twirled to the music.
***
Ethan sighed heavily. He was royally pissed that his youngest brother, Micah, had coerced him to join him for a night out, once again. He scowled and watched the crowd broodingly from the VIP section of one of Washington‘s hottest clubs. He shook his head when he saw Micah flirting with the fifth woman in less than an hour. With his enhanced hearing, he could also hear every word above the deafening music.
Hearing his brother sweet talk the woman made him sick. Letting out a huff, he slid out of the booth and stalked over to stand at the edge of the balcony. Several women gave him second, even third glances. They were drawn to his dark good looks and imposing stature, not to mention the danger he exuded. Women always seemed to be attracted to his bad boy type. He usually took great pleasure in a woman’s company, but lately, he received no pleasure from women or much else. It was as if his ability to feel was slowly dissipating.
